AusLeisure

Pop megastar Ed Sheeran has attracted the biggest ever audience - a crowd of 48,000 - to Wellington’s Sky Stadium.

The British star’s first New Zealand concert of his ‘+-=÷x’ tour last night marked the venue’s largest single day event, eclipsing the previous record was set by an Eminem concert in March 2019 with 46,474 fans.

The central layout of the concert allowed audiences to view the stage from all angles, with 16,000 fans on the ground and 32,000 in the stands.

Welcoming the achievement, Sky Stadium Chief Executive, Shane Harmon stated “this is the first show of Ed’s Australia and New Zealand tour, and the single largest day event the Stadium has ever held.”

The venue had made special arrangements for access with road closures, extra public transport and set places where taxis and rideshares can drop off and pick up.

It also asked fans to arrive two hours before Sheeran took the stage, with Harmon noting before the concert, that this was “to ensure everyone is in their seats well before Ed gets on stage, make sure that you’ve downloaded your tickets via the Ticketek NZ app and get to the Stadium early.

“For this one, it is important to plan ahead.”

Sheeran took the stage at 8.15pm, following local acts Kaylee Bell and Maisie Peters who performed from 6pm.

Of those attending Thursday’s concert, about 35%, or 16,200, of the ticket holders came from outside the region marking a significant economic boost for New Zealand’s capital.

Sheeran’s tour will now travel to Auckland’s Eden Park on 10th and 11th February, before heading to Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane for three nights, two nights at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, and two nights at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Adelaide and Perth.

Image: Pop megastar Ed Sheeran has attracted the biggest audience ever to Wellington’s Sky Stadium. Credit: Sky Stadium/Teddysphotos.

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