Festival goers in 2009:
64,757 in 2009
Occupancy rates in 2009:
99% for operas
91% for concerts
2009 Festival's budget :
€ 20,4 M
In 2009, 64,757 festival goers took part in the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.
The occupancy rates for the theatres were very high, 99% for operas and 91% for concerts. 12% of festival goers came from Europe and worldwide, 47% from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region and 31% from the rest of France.
The Festival is being opened up to an increasingly younger audience with highly successful targeted activities including a young persons price (€10, €15 and €20 for operas and concert for those under 28), a “young people at the opera” initiative where each adult seat purchased includes one free adjacent seat for a child under 18, along with awareness activities in schools, colleges and high schools through a broad educational program developed in 2006, 2007 and 2008. These different activities reached almost 2,000 youngsters in 2009.
Furthermore, to make its shows accessible to a wider audience, the Festival has implemented a pricing policy which enables it to offer almost 20,000 seats for under € 50.
Eventually, the Festival also brings together regional as well as national and international economic organisations, patron or partner companies and professionals from all over the world.
Every year the national and international press provide widespread coverage of the event.
In 2009, 241 journalists covered the Festival, the majority of whom came from abroad (19 nationalities represented).
Addtionally to the six televised broadcasts (Idomeneo broadcasted live on Arte , Götterdämmerung recorded for France 3, Mezzo and NHK, Orphée aux Enfers broadcasted live on internet on Arte Live Web and recorded for Mezzo), and to the tens of radio broadcasts, 74 subjects or televised reports were dedicated to the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence on Arte.tv and Arte Live Web.
In order to support its development the Festival has had to acquire the necessary production and be able to provide accommodation for several operatic productions as well as the artists' involved. This has necessitated a search for new financial resources.
From 1998 to 2007, the Festival's budget significantly increased, going from € 11.7 M to € 19.9 M.
In 2009, the Festival is 65% self-financing thanks to a combination of ticket sales (21%), patronage and sponsorship (15%), the participation of the Casino d'Aix-en-Provence (9%), coproduction (8%), tours (5%) and various other incomes (TV, radio, Festival related products, media partnerships). Public subsidies amount to 35% of the budget (State, Town, Département, Region).
In 2009, 52.4% of the budget (€ 10.7M) was dedicated to artistic productions, 20.6% to fixed costs, 22% to technical operating costs and communication and logistics costs during the Festival.
