Raggamuffin Fest moves to Auckland?

Damian Marley. Pic: wenn.com

NZ Herald reports Raggamuffin Festival promoter Andrew McManus is looking at a shift from the Festival's home in Rotorua to Auckland.

There was some talk of this happening back in January prior to the latest Raggamuffin, with the event director Jackie Sanders urging Rotorua residents to support the event or lose it to Auckland, saying that locals accounted for 20 % of attendees, and she was expecting about 60% of attendees to come from Auckland.

From NZHerald: "McManus, founder of McManus Entertainment, said he lost more than $1 million on the concert this year.

The number of Rotorua locals buying tickets at the gate had dropped from 17 per cent to 0.7 per cent, and about 70 per cent of festival-goers had come from Auckland, he said.

... Raggamuffin has injected millions of dollars into the Rotorua economy since it began in 2008. But a poor turnout this year and a lack of support from locals meant a move north made financial sense, Mr McManus said."

However, there is still one year left to run on the event's contract with Rotorua, and McManus is negotiating to get out of holding the 2015 Raggamuffin in Rotorua.

Rotorua Daily Post, quoting a Rotorua District Council economic impact report, says that the concert attracted 32,000 people in 2008, 22,000 in 2009, 29,000 in 2010, 30,000 in 2011, 20,000 in 2012, and 25,000 in 2013. 

The Daily Post reports that "About 19,000 people attended the festival at the Rotorua International Stadium in 2014, a 30 per cent drop from last year."

The odd thing is, before the 2014 Raggamuffin, the event director was quoted as saying she was hoping for a crowd of 20,000. So, getting 19,000 doesn't seem such a bad outcome. Unless your break even point was well above a crowd of 20,000?

In 2011, a total of 31.4 per cent of festival-goers were from Auckland, 14.3 per cent from the Waikato/Bay of Plenty and 24.1 per cent from Rotorua. A further 14.4 per cent came from Hawke's Bay, Wellington and Manawatu (source)

Andrew McManus has had a chequered history with the event in New Zealand, with his NZ promotions company being forced into liquidation. See links below.

Previous posts: Herbs vs Raggamuffin (March 26 2011), Raggamuffin rumblings (Dec 8 2010), Raggamuffin cancels Aust shows (2012) Ali Campbell owed $ by Raggamuffin (2012)