Ed Sheeran concert influx – Dunedin's new gold rush?

Tuesday, 27 March 2018

Ed Sheeran receives a pōwhiri welcome at Mt Smart Stadium,

The 19th century Otago gold rush once made Dunedin New Zealand's largest city and now it's preparing for another boom.

The pressure is on the southern city, population 120,000, to deliver a great experience for the 65,000 visitors hitting town for British pop star Ed Sheeran's three concerts at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

'We have never seen anything like it in this city,' said Dunedin Venues Management (DVM) chief executive Terry Davies. 'It will be a test, but I think it will be amazing.'

Davies said if he had been told a few years ago that the stadium could sell more than 100,000 tickets for three concerts over a few days at Easter he said he would have replied 'that's ridiculous'.

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But Dunedin knows a thing or two about hosting a large influx of people; during the Otago Gold Rush the city's population increased nearly tenfold between 1858 and 1871.

While those people came to the province to find their fortune on the goldfields, it is a red-haired singer bringing new riches to the city this time around.

UP TO 21,000 VEHICLES EXPECTED FROM CHRISTCHURCH

A New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) statement said up to 21,000 vehicles could be heading to Dunedin from Christchurch, based on ticket sales figures.

Between 5000 and 7000 vehicles would be travelling for each concert and NZTA was warning motorists to plan ahead to stay safe and avoid delays.

And all these Sheeran fans were expected to pump more than $34 million into the economy. They were one of the reason why cities built stadiums, Davies said.

The stadium's roof meant wet weather was out of the equation, providing better experiences for punters: 'And we are still learning every time we have a show.'

Details of the bid made to secure the Sheeran concerts were unavailable, but the venue had a good relationship with promoter Michael Gudinski of Frontier Touring, he said.

But even Davies was surprised when a second show was added and quickly sold out, and then a third, which was on track to do the same.

A CITY WAITS

Parts of the inner city, including the lower Octagon, would be closed to traffic for six days from Wednesday at a cost of $60,000.

Inner city festivities, under the motto 'Paint the town Ed' would include family-friendly spaces, street furniture, an 'Ed hunt' and live music.

Ed Sheeran performs on stage at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday n Auckland.

A large number of fans, and potentially the artist himself, were expected to check out the Sheeran mural by Dunedin artist, Tyler Kennedy-Stent.

His mural, which cost ratepayers $8350, garnered national and international attention and despite being recognised for his work Kennedy-Stent said his life 'hadn't changed at all'.

He hoped the British star would have time to look at the Bath St mural and potentially post a photo to his 21 million Instagram followers.

'That would be amazing.'

John Christie, of Enterprise Dunedin, said there were no plans for an official city welcome, but that was not stopping the city from rolling out the red carpet.

'The whole city, because of our size, you do notice that impact more significantly when you have a big event.'

DRINK TO THAT

The change to Easter trading bylaws would provide opportunities for the retail sector, as would the special liquor licenses made available to bars for the weekend.

A Dunedin City Council spokesperson said the council had issued 40 special licenses directly related to the concerts.

Sheeran receives a welcome at Mt Smart Stadium, ahead of his first New Zealand show last week.

Punters battle heavy rain to see Ed Sheeran

Hospitality New Zealand Otago president Mark Scully said Dunedin's weekend of Sheeran was 'bigger than anything we've every seen'.

The signs at Dunedin Airport have changed as the city prepares for Sheeran.

Dunedin artist Tyler Kennedy-Stent admires his mural of Sheeran.

'Accommodation's full, private accommodation's full. It's not just the commercial accommodation which is obviously chocka, I think the town is bursting at the seams in terms of people hosting their friends,' he said.

'Dunedin's going to be absolutely humming for the weekend.'

Scully thought transport could be a sticking point, as it had been for big events in the past. Extra buses and trains had been scheduled by Otago Regional Council.

A spokesperson for Dunedin Taxis predicted traffic congestion and 'organised chaos'.

The company, which has Dunedin's largest taxi fleet, already had periods of the weekend that were fully booked.

Ironic Cafe and Bar co-owner Steve Wilson said the restaurant area was booked out. He and his team had been planning for the weekend for 'months'.

'Our biggest event that we've ever had was the Rugby World Cup in 2011. This is going to be bigger than that,' he said.