We cast our mind back to the sell-out stadiums, packed movie theatres, and record-breaking festivals of 2023, to bring you the biggest moments shared by Australian audiences.

As 2023 was nearing its close, our team got chatting about the top audience moments of the year — and what we learned along the way.

It seems obvious but it’s actually pretty special: many of us have loved being in crowds again. After the awkwardness and isolation of the pandemic, 2023 was about having that collective experience: the feeling of being 100% in the moment alongside thousands of other people.

In this article, we take a look back at a year marked by sell-out stadium performances, shock cancellations, packed movie theatres, and record-breaking festivals.

The Matildas didn’t win the World Cup but, instead, changed women’s sport for good

The Matildas drew in record-breaking viewership for their incredible run at the Women’s World Cup - capturing the hearts of audiences around the globe but especially here at home.

Our team has some insight into the complex funding decisions behind major events (hint: they ain’t cheap), but this one set a new precedent for the enormous intangible value that results from hosting global events like the World Cup.

Cost-benefit ratios aside, the iconic semi-finals shootout cemented Sam Kerr’s legendary status, and the Matildas keen following saw the team become Australia’s most valuable brand in sports. The start of a new chapter, not just for women in sport, but for Australian society, period.

Barbenheimer brought us back to the cinema, on the double!

Perhaps the biggest comeback in 2023 saw audiences returning to the big screen in swathes, driven by Barbie and Oppenheimer’s competing release dates (as well as an unprecedented marketing effort and press tour by Warner Bros.).

Like other kinds of cultural events, cinema attendances took a big hit during the pandemic, but things began looking a lot rosier as these two films approached our shores.

Fuelled by the viral ‘Barbenheimer’ meme, a new phenomenon emerged, leading audiences across the globe to purchase tickets to both films as a double feature. This unlikely combo showed that, when done right, audiences are up for both uplifting and challenging stories.

We loved seeing people dressing up again for a new release (who doesn’t love an excuse to wear head-to-toe pink?) and sharing their experience on socials. It was also interesting to see movie-goers purchasing tickets pre-release. Some research showed that 43% of Barbie audiences were infrequent moviegoers, meaning they hadn’t been to the movies in the last 6 months.  

Blockbuster stadium tours showed us how to make friends with strangers

After a patchy 2022, demand for concert tickets was back in full force, with international acts taking centre stage (and emptying wallets everywhere).

There are signs this hasn’t been good news for everyone – with indie gigs hurting at box offices across the country – and continuing the tough times for many small and medium companies.

Most newsworthy was the internet-breaking presales for Taylor Swift’s 2024 ERAS Tour (some of our team were lucky to snap up tickets).

Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour was her highest-grossing tour yet, and Swift’s revenue surpassed the billion-dollar mark.

Putting the market distortion aside, we’ve been amazed by the stadium experiences these acts are putting on for the crowds – and how adorable is the friendship bracelet trend? Swifties are bringing new levels of sweet to concerts, and heralding in a new era of connection through shared experiences.

Disability activism inspired new levels of access at events

It’s been a long time coming but in 2023, it was great to see some incredible examples of accessibility at events.

We’ve watched as events outdid each other with new access and inclusion initiatives, welcoming broader audiences than ever before.

Our friend Morwenna Collett reported back from Ability Fest: ‘There were Auslan interpreters on both stages all day (including the incredible Mikey Webb), captioning on the Main Stage, Bindi Maps for site navigation, a nicely kitted out sensory room, a chill out space, two accessible viewing platforms, ample first aid, a well-being tent, a service animal toileting area, accessible buggies to move people between the two stage areas, loads of helpful volunteers, a fab access liaison contact officer with lived experience, good signage, loads of track matting, shaded areas, strobe warnings, an awesome disabled photographer documenting the event and of course multiple disabled musicians on the bill.’ Wow.

We’re seeing more and more great initiatives popping up, like Auslan Santa at Westfield – and amazing acts by disabled artists at festivals around the country.  

In January, our team launched a new research report – showing that its not just disabled and immunocompromised audiences who benefit from these changes, but the friends, families, support workers and groups that accompany them, so hear hear!

A big thank you to all the tireless advocates who have championed change for a long time.

Festivals brought the fun (and crowds) back into cities

We’re still talking about Adelaide Fringe’s huge achievement in selling 1 million tickets for their 2023 festival and topping their pre-COVID ticket sales from 2019. In possibly the biggest ticketing comeback of 2023, Adelaide Fringe was able to swing a miracle through strategic coordination across updated databases, a healthy mix of free and cheap offerings, an optimised box office experience and a sponsor-backed ticket flash sale.

Sydney WorldPride 2023 drew over 1 million audience members to the festival (double what was expected), with around 70,000 people coming to NSW especially to attend. It was the first time WorldPride, the largest LGBTQIA+ festival in the world, was hosted in the Southern Hemisphere. This history-making event was the biggest in Sydney since the 2000 Olympics!

It’s not all roses in festival world, with Dark Mofo breaking news as they announced a fallow year in 2024. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder so we’ll be watching with interest to see what audiences do when it returns to Hobart in 2025.

Major institutions turned up the volume on free events

In August, our major report Audiences 2023+ showed that cost is now the top barrier limiting people’s attendance at cultural events. Luckily, the arts sector is responding with an amazing array of free events.

The beloved Sydney Opera House celebrated it’s 50th birthday in 2023, and hosted a month-long Birthday Festival in October where audiences were treated to a broad range of ticketed and free events from theatre to contemporary music and lectures. They produced ‘Play It Safe’, a 50th Anniversary film showcasing dance, music and theatre, and shared 50 iconic Sydney Opera House film recordings for free over 3 months to celebrate 5 iconic decades.

The history-making Melbourne Now returned for the first time since 2013 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. The exhibition took over NGV’s Fed Square gallery and included more than 200 Victorian practitioners across disciplines. The exhibition and programming saw audience attendance records break, with success factors from the unique mix of local creatives on show as well as the breadth of public programming – all enjoyed for free!

Thank you to all of the amazing artists, event organisers and cultural venues that worked so hard to make 2023 such a special year for audiences.

May the good times roll in 2024!

About the Author

Peta Petrakis
Research Analyst

 
 

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