CubaDupa Festival delivers a $1.17 million economic boost to central Wellington

Wednesday, 2 April 2025

CubaDupa is more than just a cultural celebration - it’s become an economic powerhouse for Wellington, said Justin Lester, director of Dot Loves Data, which analysed $4.74 million of ANZ card transactions in Wellington’s CBD last weekend.

The festival, New Zealand’s largest outdoor arts and music event, attracted 18,412 visitors to Wellington’s CBD, an increase of 5,262 to the usual numbers that come to the area on the weekend.

Attendees spent up large between 12 pm Saturday March 29 and 4 am Sunday March 30, the $4.74 million figure of transactions in the Wellington CBD representing a 33% increase ($1.17 million) on the typical weekend.

“Spending in the Cuba Precinct itself surged by 120% and spilled over into the nearby Courtney Precinct, showing the knock on impact the festival has for the rest of the city,” said Lester.

Local Wellingtonians couldn’t resist coming into town to shop and drop into CubaDupa which was held on a beautiful sunny weekend, forking out a total of $3.11 million over the event period, said Lester.

“Wellington locals spent an additional $835,000 over the Saturday and Sunday, 37% more than their usual weekend pattern,” he added.

At the same time visitors to the city splashed out $1.63 million during CubaDupa, 26% more than a regular weekend. Their money went to accommodation providers, restaurants and bars, Dot Loves Data found.

“The strong local engagement, coupled with increased visitor spending, shows just how valuable CubaDupa has become in supporting local businesses and strengthening the Wellington economy,” said Lester.

Economic development agency, WellingtonNZ noted there were a number of high profile events in the capital over the weekend which also drew people into the city.

“Wellington experienced a wonderful lineup of events over the weekend - not only was there a fantastic turnout for CubaDupa but also shows across the city including Graham Norton at Michael Fowler Centre and Bob Geldof at the St James Theatre, which contributed to a buzzing atmosphere throughout the weekend,” said Heidi Morton, Events and Experiences General Manager at WellingtonNZ.

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The hospitality and retail sectors did particularly well from the CubaDupa Festival, said Dot Loves Data.

The amount going through cash registers at restaurants increased by 50%, reaching a total of $932,089 during the event, while festival goers splashed out $732,378 at bars and nightclubs, a surge of 101%, said Lester.

Fast food outlets meanwhile saw an 81% increase in consumer spend, reaching $348,297.

* An earlier story said that the CubaDupa Festive gave a $4.74 million economic boost to the Wellington CBD over the weekend of March 29, 30 when in fact that was the total amount spent in the city over that period. The festival spending increased the usual weekend transactions by $1.17 million or 33%.

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