Arts recovery on track after the downturn

Art gallery and theatre attendance in NI have recovered this year following a weaker performance in 2009. Latest data shows that the proportion of adults visiting art galleries has jumped from 9% in 2008 and 2009 to 12% this year. Meanwhile the proportion of adults going to see a play reached 16% – an improvement on the pre-downturn 2008 figure of 15%.

The number of people watching plays on a regular to frequent basis (2 to 3 times a year or more often) recovered to 100,000, having peaked at 110,000 in 2008. The number visiting art galleries regularly reached a ten-year high of 80,000, up from 70,000 in 2008.

The number of adults attending pop or rock concerts on this regular to frequent basis also reached a new ten-year high of 140,000 – having more than doubled since the start of the decade. Overall a fifth of adults now attend this kind of concert, just short of the GB figure of 24%.

The revival of live music forms part of a larger upward trend in arts attendance. Since 2000 the proportion of adults visiting art galleries has climbed from 7% to 12%. The proportion going to the theatre – whether to see a play or something else – has increased from 16% to 21%.