Case Study:
Brisbane Festival

Brisbane Festival is Queensland’s largest cultural event, and a world-class celebration held annually each September. It originated from The Warana Festival, which had been running since 1961. The festival showcases a wide range of artistic disciplines and includes major public events such as Riverfire, Brisbane Serenades, and Skylore.

For more than 15 years, IER has partnered with Brisbane Festival to assess its economic and tourism impact. This work involves complex economic modelling, reflecting the festival’s multidisciplinary nature—spanning 30 days of performances across multiple venues, featuring both free and ticketed events.

Additionally, IER conducts time-series analysis of both attendees and non-attendees to identify strategies for improving the attendee experience and providing insights into shifts in purchasing behaviour, motivations, and broader attitudes towards the festival.

Over the past decade, the research has revealed significant growth in key tourism metrics. Since 2015, the number of unique festival attendees has increased by over 26%, reaching 725,000 individuals. This growth has led to a 153% increase in visitor nights and a 159% growth in the festival’s economic contribution to Brisbane during the same period.