Darwin Festival Year in Review 2020

YEAR IN REVIEW

DARWINFESTIVAL.ORG.AU

THANK YOU

2020 SNAPSHOT

HOMEGROWN: JUST FOR US

ENGAGEMENT

11

We did it, Darwin!

DF20 Homegrown was the first major arts festival in the world to go ahead since COVID-19 drove global communities into lockdown, and despite the many challenges, changes and pivots required to get there, the Festival was a resounding success and a wonderful community celebration.

The DF20 Homegrown program shone a spotlight on Territory talent and our audiences responded passionately. Shows across the board sold out, and many in record time. We found new ways of working with local artists, new ways of connecting with our community and new ways to transform familiar venues into fresh spaces for connection, joy, and wonder.

A sincere thank you to our sponsors, partners and donors for their investment and belief in the value we bring to the Territory.

And thank you to our amazing Board, staff and volunteers.

This year there really was no better place to be in the world.

We can’t wait to see everyone at the Festival again next year as we return to 18 Hot August Nights in 2021.

94%

HOMEGROWN AUGUST NIGHTS

Nothern Territory ARTISTS

46,506

372 participants

attendances

10,089 tickets sold

DF20 HOMEGROWN was delivered by

97

ticketed shows sold out across

volunteers

corporate partners, foundations and funders

average ticket price

2019

$37.93

%

73 56 254 51 38 $2.1 employees

$24

.57

performances in

4,996 visitor nights generated

venues

m

total economic impact estimated total direct and indirect spend for 2020

JAMES GOUGH Chief Executive Officer

FELIX PREVAL Artistic Director

Festival Park Elise Derwin

EXPERIENCE Net Promoter Score Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a performance index out of 100

90.8

AUDIENCE

88 LOCAL

%

agree

Darwin Festival has a connection to the state/country we live in CONTENT

85% agree

85% agree

92% agree

Darwin Festival reflected a broad and inclusive range of voices

BELONGING

Darwin Festival helped me feel part of the community LOCAL IMPACT

It’s important that it’s happening in Darwin QUALITY

88% agree

Darwin Festival delivers high quality cultural experiences for the people of the Northern Territory

% 11 VISITING

3.8

8% Interstate 3% Intra-Territory

5% Palmerston 78% Darwin 5% Darwin Rural Area

AUTHENTICITY

89%

VS.

Average visitor attended

GENDER

days

23%

1%

76%

1%

Men

Gender Diverse Prefer not to say

Women

*

Rounding to nearest whole number has been applied

Darwin Festival attendance breakdown by age 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+

4% 20% 18% 19% 26% 12% 1% 1%

Prefer not to say

85

Festival-goers % ofhave been to Darwin

Festival in prior years

Top 3 reasons for attending Darwin Festival

1 2 3

Great to get out and attend an event To relax or escape To spend quality time with family members and friends

18

are long term Festival

% supporters having

attended prior to 2003

REACH

VALUE

90% agree

Darwin Festival plays an important role in the cultural life of the Territory

520,000+ 57,000+ Facebook reach

*

SHOWCASE

87% agree

Darwin Festival showcases Darwin’s arts and cultural depth PLACE

90% agree

95%

agreed or strongly agreed

Darwin Festival made me feel proud of my local area The Northern Territory Government should continue to invest in events like Darwin Festival

14,478 email subscribers

Instagram reach*

*During Festival campaign June 18 - August 17

www

darwinfestival.org.au

646 media clippings reached a cumulative potential audience of

46,363

148,963,369

211,461

65

unique users with

total page views over

75,858 sessions*

*During Festival campaign June 18 - August 17

%

of coverage secured in Northern Territory publications

$3,054,480 worth of digital media coverage

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS DARWIN LOVES DARWIN Just as the first Festival brought Darwin together in 1979 in the wake of Cyclone Tracy, DF20 Homegrown has been a source of hope and positivity and a celebration of Territory strength and resilience during one of our most trying years yet.

Darwin Festival has always been about bringing people together, and in 2020 while so many around the globe could not gather, we were privileged to be able to create a safe and transformative space for the community to come together and celebrate culture and the arts.

Regardless of the challenges, we were guided by optimism and the desire

to create something meaningful and memorable for the people of Darwin.

Audiences felt an authentic connection and a sense of belonging. The Festival connected them with the community in a way that made them feel part of something special and ultimately proud to call Darwin and the Territory home. Darwin Festival continues to play an integral role in the cultural life of the Territory and its local impact remains stronger than ever with 92% of audiences highlighting the importance of it happening in Darwin.

“ I left my gold wrist band on for a week after DF20 - It was so much fun I didn’t want it to end!”

NOT CLOSE BUT PERSONAL The challenges of 2020 shifted the way we work with artists, triggering creative new ways of driving the development of original content for the Festival’s Program. As a result, Darwin Festival commissioned and presented a record number of new works by local artists in a program that spanned all the artforms our Festival audiences love – theatre, dance, comedy, cabaret, music and visual arts.

Capacity audiences laughed their way through stand out local theatre productions Oyster Boy and The Final Front Ear. While a series of more intimate theatre works responded to the unprecedented times with audiences embracing the opportunity to take themselves (solo) to shows like Love Me Bar Tender, I’ll Tell You In Person and Sex and Death (and the Internet). These works became major talking pieces across the Festival, amplifying the experience well beyond the walls of the theatre. 2020 meant

Drag Divas: Essential Werk Elise Derwin

our traditional venues also needed to adapt. DF20 Homegrown dance commission North of Centre took audiences from their seats to the stage to witness three extraordinary new contemporary works on the Playhouse stage. While private homes across the city became the backdrops for a series of exquisite and exclusive classical music performances by members of the Arafura Music Collective in Distanced Duets.

Free online events extended the Festival’s reach into the houses of audiences across the country during a time when interstate travel was fraught, if not impossible. Eric Avery’s sumptuous Morning Music, Matt Cornell’s daily GIF of Dance and Team Fun’s audio DIY Scavenger Hunt proved fun and provocative online additions that received engagement both locally and interstate. The Festival’s associated events; the National Indigenous Music Awards, Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards also presented online experiences and achieved astounding national engagement.

SUNSET STAGE: AN INTIMATE ARENA Home to the hottest homegrown talent at this year’s Festival, 500 people kicked-back in the Sunset Stage in Festival Park each night, the additional space inside the newly designed venue making physical distancing possible without losing connection to the artists on stage.

With every ticket sold out in advance, capacity crowds made the most of all the Sunset Stage had to offer, with an electric program ranging from album launch parties for local legends David Garnham and the Reasons to Live and Kuya James, to sassy showcases featuring Drag Divas and the soulful sisters of Settle Down Records,

incredible vocals from Arnhem Land superstars Yilila and Ripple Effect Band plus a special closing night musical tribute to our town - Streets of Darwin.

Well-loved storytelling night SPUN proved the versatility of the new venues design, the distanced patrons hushed and attentive to the end.

Rivalling The Lighthouse which has been the Festival’s signature venue for over a decade, the Sunset Stage has certainly made its mark on audiences and artists alike. This special outdoor venue space has the unique ability to be both intimate enough for hushed singer songwriters and storytellers and epic enough for showstopping drag artists and disco-thumping DJs, all while giving people room to gather at a distance making it the perfect venue for the moment.

“ Great to have a ‘homegrown’ Festival this year.

A real celebration and affirmation of Darwin’s community. It brought people in Darwin together during a difficult time.”

“ The Sunset Stage was beyond my wildest dreams! Every night felt like a house party, the space was wonderful and I didn’t wanna stop dancing.”

I’ll Tell You In Person Elise Derwin

2020 PARTNERS PARTNER IN EXCELLENCE

PRINCIPAL PARTNER

LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTNER

MAJOR PARTNERS

DISTINGUISHED PARTNERS

BRAND STRATEGY PARTNER

PRODUCTION PARTNER

FOUNDATION PARTNER

MEDIA PARTNERS

STAR PARTNERS

SUPPORTERS ARGUS ACCOMMODATION

|

ARNHEM NURSERY

METRO ADVANCE APARTMENTS

|

|

BOLTZ

|

EXPRESS SIGNS

TERRITORY EVENTS HIRE

|

|

H HOTEL

TRAMPOLINE

|

|

MERIT PARTNERS

WORMALD

SEE YOU NEXT FESTIVAL 5-22 AUGUST 2021

Yilila Elise Derwin

Level 2, Harbour View Plaza 8 McMinn Street, Darwin NT 0801 (+61) 08 8943 4200 hello@darwinfestival.org.au ABN 15 616 936 371