Following a successful and acclaimed debut in Durham, Moogfest announced it will return to Durham in 2017, May 18-22. Organizers confirmed that the festival drew over 7,000 ticketed attendees and an average of 3,000 people attending free programming each, for a total count of almost 40,000 attendees over the four days.
Reflecting that fans are eager to experience more of Moogfest’s cutting edge mix of music, technology and art, over 1200 tickets for next year’s event were sold within the past two days!
”We measure success by the strength of our community as we make long-term plans for our future in Durham. We are humbled and proud to have this overwhelming show of support,” said Adam Katz, Moogfest CEO. “We are so thankful to all the talent and partners that made this festival possible. The staff and crew went above and beyond to deliver a world-class program. We are excited to begin thinking about making Moogfest even better."
Highlights of Moogfest 2016 included:
- Performances by over 100 of the world’s top music artists including Grimes, ODESZA, GZA, Laurie Anderson, Gary Numan, Reggie Watts, Miike Snow, Blood Orange, The Orb, and even an 8-hour, overnight “sleep” concert by Robert Rich where the audience slept in a theater of beds.
- Keynotes by Dr. Martine Rothblatt, the transgender CEO of United Therapeutics who made a powerful call for the repeal of North Carolina’s “bathroom” bill HB2, and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier, who composed an original “Symphony for Moogfest” for his appearance.
- Debuts and demos of the latest in music and art technology – from the announcement of a new Google project aimed at generating art and music using artificial intelligence to a marimba-playing robot to the debut of Artiphon, which allows you to strum a guitar, tap a piano, bow a violin, or loop a drum beat all on a single instrument.
- Large-scale, interactive art installations that delighted crowds by allowing them create their own sonic experiences, remix a song by headliner Grimes, or experience the hum of Burt’s Bees hives like never before.
- Free events throughout downtown Durham ranging from free outdoor concerts to workshops and special events for kids.
Economic Impact
The festival was also projected to spur $5 million in direct visitor spending and almost $7 million in economic impact, according to The Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau. Although official reports have not come in, businesses in Durham celebrated record sales and near-constant activity throughout the weekend
“We were so happy to welcome Moogfest in its inaugural year in Durham along with the thousands of people who came to celebrate, enjoy great music and conversations and learn about new advances in technology,” said Shelly Green, CEO of the Durham CVB. “We think it was an awesome event for attendees and for Durham. Our restaurants, hotels, shops, and entertainment venues were packed with diverse and eclectic crowds.”
