Rugby World Cup fever and the grounding of the Rena may have combined to take the edge off ticket sales for the Tauranga Arts Festival.
Festival director Greg Latham was not expecting sales to reach the 12,583 tickets sold at the last festival in 2009. The final wash-up was expected to be announced in about a fortnight.
Despite this, he said they had received incredibly positive feedback about the festival. The final performance took place on Sunday evening, with the World Press Photo Exhibition continuing at the Tauranga Art Gallery until this Sunday.
Mr Latham said they decided not to switch the traditional start of the festival away from the Thursday before Labour Weekend, even although it clashed with the World Cup finals weekend.
In hindsight, he had no regrets about the timing even although it was difficult to be specific about how the World Cup affected the festival and how much it shifted the focus from the festival.
Perhaps some people spent their money on rugby tickets and accommodation rather than shows, he said.
Mr Latham also suspected that the public's preoccupation with the Rena disaster would have diverted attention away from the arts festival. It was still too early to know whether the event would run at a deficit.
Appropriately, the two performances of Roger Hall's comedy C'Mon Black! at the 16th Ave Theatre were sell-outs, along with the two Berlin Burlesque shows at Baycourt. Another big success with all age groups was the band Tahuna Breaks.
Also popular, with most nights selling out, were the small intimate shows of Hotel and Salon performed inside a hotel room at Sebel Trinity Wharf and inside The Salon on The Strand.
Mr Latham said the guitar and percussionist duo of Antonio Forcione and Adriano Adewale was the festival highlight for a lot of people. Their shows in the Pacific Crystal Palace were nearly sold out.
At least two of the family theatre performances of The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer were sell-outs. "It was a delightful little show."
The festival's opening show on October 20, soul/jazz songstress LA Mitchell, was about three-quarters full, as was Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Michael Houstoun's performance of the real life 1940s love affair of Rita Angus and Douglas Lilburn.
Only half the 300 seats were sold for The Sad Lament of Pecos Bill on the Eve of Killing His Wife - "It might have been a bit edgy for some people," Mr Latham said.
"The important thing for us is to always maintain the standard and quality across the festival."
As usual, some people still left buying tickets to the last minute, he said.