Sir Elton John’s first, and last, Newcastle tour has injected more than $12 million into the local visitor economy.
It’s been estimated in excess of 48,000 people attended his two shows, on Sunday (8 January) and Tuesday (10 January), at McDonald Jones Stadium, with organisers and City of Newcastle (CN) hailing the music icon’s appearance a major hit on numerous fronts.
The presence of Hollywood heavyweight Nicole Kidman and her superstar husband Keith Urban, as well as other high-profile celebrities, in the crowd also elevated the event in the international spotlight.
Approximately 11,000 tickets were purchased by visitors from outside Newcastle, with at least 2,000 from interstate.
A further 120 fans flew into the country.
“McDonald Jones Stadium is officially back open for big-name acts after successfully staging two at-capacity Elton John shows,” venue manager Dean Mantle said.
“While it had been more than 30 years between concerts, the success of this [Farewell Yellow Brick Road] tour will only strengthen our position to secure more events of this scale, complementing the offering from our sporting partners, the Newcastle Knights and Newcastle Jets.
“But, it was all made possible due to the strong partnership between Venues NSW, City of Newcastle, Michael Chugg and Frontier Touring.”
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes admitted the city was still buzzing.
“It has been an amazing week for locals and visitors with Sir Elton John performing in Newcastle for the first time,” she said.
“We joined forces with Venues NSW to secure Newcastle as the first stop on the tour in Australia under a strategic Major Events Partnership and would like to congratulate the event organisers for putting on a fantastic show for everyone.
“Attracting headline acts of this calibre is indicative of our maturing local economy.
“Major events are a key part of City of Newcastle’s Destination Management Plan as a primary driver of the tourism visitor economy, delivering both an immediate and ongoing benefit for the community and economy, with greater visitation, investment and liveability outcomes.”
The upcoming expansion of Newcastle Airport will also pave the way for attracting more international events, while brands like Crystalbrook and QT have already recognised Newcastle’s expanding tourism appeal, investing millions of dollars to open five-star hotels in the city.
“What we have seen this week is nothing short of record breaking,” QT Newcastle general manager Michael Stamboulidis said.
“The first performance has driven unprecedented demand on a Sunday, which is typically our quietest day.”
For more entertainment stories:
- Well done Newcastle, cheers for the Sir Elton John concert
- Sir Elton still the ultimate showman
- The Station ‘in the pink’ for WorldPride
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