Forget Tinder, the new way to find love is at a live event according to recent research by Eventbrite, a self-service ticketing platform. The survey found that 49% of respondents had met their 'significant other' at a live event, with almost 50% of all those surveyed reporting finding love at a festival. 4% of survey respondents had gone on to exchange vows with partners they had met at an event. So whether you're into music festivals or sporting spectacles, it seems live events are the right place to look for love and with Queensland offering over 100 of the country's best live events, your chances of finding a match are much higher than simply swiping right.
It may not seem like the most romantic of festivals but the Gympie Music Muster is one of the state's most successful events when it comes to bringing couples together. Not just a magnet for country music lovers, the 4-day outdoor live music festival has also been responsible for many attendees finding love. 40-year-old Michelle Storey and her partner 37-year-old Clinton Anderson are living proof of that. From Woodford, the couple met at the Gympie Muster in 2006 and were married in front of the festival's Crowbar 7 years later. Just one year after that, they introduced their six-week-old daughter Ariya to the feel-good festival in 2014. Even multi-award-winning Aussie country music star Troy Cassar-Daley met his wife there in 1993 and two years later proposed to her backstage at the Muster.
These stories, along with a long list of other loved-up couples, confirm the national survey conducted by Eventbrite which found that online hook-ups were beaten by real-life connections when it comes to taking things to the next level with a possible love interest. The survey revealed that a whopping 93% of survey respondents preferred to 'lock eyes' for the first time rather than just receive a social media request. Of those surveyed, a further 5% went on to get engaged, with 4% going all the way with tying the knot at a live event.
University of Queensland researched conducted at the Woodford Folk Festival also found that attending festivals is linked with heightened happiness and wellbeing. Not only do festival attendees achieve a sense of happiness, the research also revealed that they were inspired to get creative and felt more positive about life as a result. For those who attended a festival over more than one day, they reported having a more positive experience still.
So it seems the verdict is in. If you want to feel better about life, get creative, increase your happiness and wellbeing and perhaps find Mr or Mrs Right, just head to the nearest festival or live event.
Jupiters Pan Pacific Masters Games
Gold Coast 5 to 13 November 2016
The biggest biennial masters games in the world attracts over 13,000 participants from around the globe showcasing competitions in over 40 sports including swimming, archery, baseball, netball, softball and taekwondo.
Travelling Film Festival Townsville
Townsville 18 to 21 November 2016
In Association with Screen Queensland, the Travelling Film Festival is Australia's longest running touring film festival and brings world cinema to regional Australia with an outstanding program of the best cinema from around the world including nine feature films.
Jungle Love Festival
Sunshine Coast 25 to 27 November 2016
An epic 53-act event that is less music festival and more surreal wonderland showcasing the great south east's best rising talent across three jam-packed stages. Providing an immersive and liberating experience for attendees, the pièce de résistance is the massive two storey treehouse-bar.
NYE Summer Nights Ball
Brisbane 31 December 2016
Experience New Year's Eve like never before: front-row on the river's edge surrounded by the Kangaroo Point Cliff Parklands. Celebrate with food, cocktails and entertainment as well as magnificent views of the city. Farewell the year and welcome the new under a blanket of stars as fireworks ignite the sky.
