The Melbourne International Comedy festival has reported an increase of ten percent in attendances in the 2009 comedy festival. The 2009 Festival recorded $10,539,850 in box office. Despite production, venue and staff costs having risen, the Festival has registered a modest surplus.
During the 2009 festival there were 318 shows, with 4,560 performances, in 123 venues.
Melbourne Comedy Festival Director, Susan Provan says “the 2009 results reinforce the fact that the Melbourne Comedy Festival is a major event for Victoria and Australia, and a vital artistic showcase for hundreds of comedy performers. It’s a Festival with an Australia-wide and global reach, drawing producers, agents and performers from around the world to discover Australian artists, while local audiences enjoy the best contemporary comedy from overseas and across the nation.”
With 490,000 attendees in 2009 (420,000 in 2008) the festival sits behind only the Australian Open, the AFL Grand Final and the Spring Racing Carnival as the highest attended cultural event in Victoria.
The 2010 Melbourne Comedy Festival runs from 24 March – 18 April