In 2019, Durham Performing Arts Center had its highest attendance for a calendar year since the venue opened in 2008, officials announced Thursday.
With 522,515 guests attending 239 events last year, the venue once again ranked among as one of the best theaters in the country for its size, placing among the top five venues in attendance and sales.
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Pollstar, an organization that covers the worldwide concert industry, ranked DPAC fourth in theater venue ticket sales, behind New York's Radio City Music Hall, The Fox Theatre in Atlanta and the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, respectively.
Billboard Magazine ranked DPAC fifth in gross sales for venues under 5,000 seats. VenuesNow magazine ranked DPAC third in gross sales for venues with 2,001 to 5,000 seats. The same publication also ranked DPAC the No. 3 venue of the past decade for U.S. theaters will 2,001 to 5,000 seats.
Last year, DPAC's total economic impact to the city of Durham was $127,155,331, according to officials.
“We love playing a role in helping to bring so many new visitors to Durham to discover not only the great shows at DPAC, but also to see all that Durham has to offer,” DPAC General Manager Bob Klaus said. “Though it’s our top-five rankings that generate the headlines, what we’re most proud of is our guest experience. The greatest reward is seeing the smiles of our guests and hearing from the thousands each year that give us such great reviews and share so many nice compliments about our event staff.”
The 2019 Broadway season at DPAC included multiple Tony Award-winning shows. The season's top five shows for attendance were "Disney's Aladdin," "Dear Evan Hansen," "Cats," "Miss Saigon" and "Anastasia."
The top attended concerts of the year at DPAC were Harry Connick, Jr.'s "A Celebration of Cole Porter," Widespread Panic, Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band, Joe Bonamassa and Charlie Wilson.
DPAC also hosted a variety of comedy shows, with the most-attended being Ali Wong, Carol Burnett, Tom Segura, Eddie Izzard and Jay Leno.
The top attended special events shows of 2019 were "A Christmas Carol," "Madea's Farewell Play Tour," "Paw Patrol," "A Magical Cirque Christmas" and "The Carolina Ballet's Nutcracker."
The 2019-2020 Broadway season at DPAC continues this month with "Come From Away" on Jan. 14, followed by "Rent" and "Mean Girls."
The Broadway smash "Wicked" will play DPAC Sept. 30 through Oct. 25, as part of the upcoming 2020/2021 Broadway season, which will also include the return of "Hamilton." No dates have been announced for "Hamilton" yet.