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• Over 54,000 West Aussies attend four major events in five days
• WA's major venues host netball and AFL matches plus a music event
• Hard border allows large events to take place in WA
• Many Western Australians return to work and local suppliers see increase in demand

On Wednesday, RAC Arena welcomed back the West Coast Fever. Optus Stadium hosted its first two AFL hub matches, including the 51st Western Derby and HBF Stadium held the WA Unlocked music concert.

A total of 4204 netball fans were in high spirits to see West Coast Fever on their home court for the first time since the 2019 season. Thanks to the venue's industry-leading program, VenueShield, patrons attended the venue with confidence and peace of mind.

The historic all-Victorian match between Geelong and Collingwood saw 22,077 AFL fans descend on Optus Stadium.

Proving that the venue is capable of hosting multiple AFL matches in quick succession, the West Coast Eagles then defeated Fremantle in front of 25,306 fans in the 51st Western Derby.

The combined crowd of 47,383 were welcomed by 2300 staff over both games.

Regular full capacity staff numbers meant all food and beverage outlets were open with minimal queuing times, as well as fast security checks and egress.

For the first time, the stadium was completely cashless, with cash cards available at the stadium for those arriving without an eftpos card. Of all the weekend's sales 99% were completed by the customer's own cashless option — card, phone or watch.

As Perth's premier venues, RAC Arena shared their event staff with Optus Stadium, providing maximum shift opportunities and experience as the latter prepares to host multiple AFL matches each week.

Live music also made a big return to WA with HBF Stadium hosting local artists for WA Unlocked, WA's first major music event since restrictions began. A sold out crowd attended the event to enjoy acts Crooked Colours, Shock One with Reija Lee, Slumberjack and Tina Says.