Melbourne and Olympic Park precinct hosted more than 400 events that drew a record 3 million attendees in the last financial year.
Marvel stadium also had one of its biggest years on record for the stadium, eclipsed only by 2019 when the stadium hosted UFC events.The cost-of-living crisis has not yet started to bite when it comes to buying a ticket for a music or sporting event, with Melbourne’s stadiums recording their biggest year ever.Sam Eustice, director of commercial at Melbourne and Olympic Parks, said there was a pent-up demand for events after people missed out on so much during the pandemic years.
Crowd figures across the precinct were more than double the COVID-hit 2020-21 and 2021-22 financial years, which had 1.3 million attendees.It is the latest iteration of what economists have dubbed “revenge spending”, a trend that took hold after the pandemic, in which people shifted their spending away from goods towards experiences.
Marvel Stadium’s Jay Allen said it had been one of the biggest years on record for the stadium, eclipsed only by 2019 when the venue hosted the popular UFC events.and Post Malone,” he said. “A Matilda’s World Cup friendly, the big bash league, a Socceroos match, stadium golf and even a couple of Melbourne Storm NRL games, all around the 40-plus AFL matches that delivered all-time record crowds.