Nearly two million tickets were sold at the “off” festival in Avignon from July 7 to 29, a “historic” year in view of the last six editions, according to an estimate by the organizers published in a press release on Monday. The largest live performance market in France, which occurs alongside the Avignon Festival, brought together 1,491 shows this year, almost the same level as before the health crisis. “1.9 million tickets” have been sold, says the Avignon Festival association
“This is a historic year, compared to the last six years,” said Harold David, one of the co-presidents of AF
On Ticket’Off, which represents 9% of overall ticket sales during the festival, 172,781 tickets were sold, compared to 99,861 in 2019 and 117,105 in 2022, according to the press release. “After the difficult years (post-Covid), this edition has restored confidence to the entire sector, which can project itself again into what makes the show interesting: meeting the public”, also commented Harold David. . At the level of public subscription cards, 10% of holders are between 12 and 25 years old, compared to 13% in 2022.
The “off”, created in 1966, a few years after the Festival d’Avignon, has grown to become one of the largest independent performing arts festivals in the world. Some also criticize him for offering too many shows – often little broadcast thereafter -, not to mention the underpayment of a good number of artists. The organizers of the 77th edition of the Festival d’Avignon (July 5-25) had for their part announced a “total attendance forecast” of “114,600 entries” (compared to 105,260 in 2022), i.e. an “attendance rate of 94% » for paid entries.
