Taranaki Summer at the Bowl concert series generates $8.1m expenditure

Matchbox Twenty played to a near-capacity crowd at the Bowl of Brooklands in Taranaki this summer.

New Plymouth District Council’s Summer at the Bowl concert series has hit all the right notes for the local economy.

The series, which ran from December 2023 to March 2024, included December’s Rock the Bowl festival with performances from Ocean Alley, Shapeshifter and Katchafire, the January Dire Straights Legacy concert and Matchbox Twenty in March.

According to a report from Business and Economic Research Ltd (BERL), the series generated $8.1 million in total expenditure and injected $4.2m into the local economy.

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The report said more than half of the visitors travelled from outside the region, spending a combined total of 19,672 nights in Taranaki, with the cash injection coming from money spent on accommodation, transport, food and shopping during their stay.

Concertgoers had an 83 per cent satisfaction score, with 92 per cent of visitors saying they would recommend the Summer at the Bowl concerts.

A total of 4500kg (84 per cent) of waste generated by the concert was diverted from landfill, with 948 hours donated from zero waste volunteers, valued at $21,520.

The report comes after BERL’s findings from the council’s TSB Festival of Lights 2023/24 season, which runs consecutively with Summer at the Bowl.

New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom said he was delighted but not surprised by the success of the summer concert series.

“Great music and the iconic Bowl of Brooklands is a perfect combination, and our events team works really hard all year round to deliver a high-class lineup and to show off all our district has to offer.”

He said events like Summer at the Bowl were vital to the local economy.

“We see an influx of visitors in town booking out hotels, and making the most of our bars, restaurants and cafes, keeping the tills ringing in our hospitality sector and local businesses.”