mmg.com.au

Local tickets for the inaugural Deni Blues and Roots Festival have sold out and organisers say the public response has been ‘‘amazing’’.

It took just over a week to sell the 1000 specially priced tickets for people living in the 2710 or 2713 postcodes.

And 400 of those were sold on the first day, Deniliquin Play on the Plains Festival Ltd marketing manager Karla Notley said.

‘‘The response has been amazing. Locals have been really great,’’ Miss Notley said.

‘‘They’re really excited by the big names of Santana and Chris Isaak being in town.

‘‘Our partners, Michael Chugg and Rob Potts, are really happy with how ticket sales are going.’’

Miss Notley also said general early bird ticket sales have closed.

While Miss Notley did not have the exact Ticketek figures, she said sales ‘‘went well’’.

‘‘A lot of people, especially from out of town, have bought those, so that’s really exciting,’’ she said.

General ticket sales opened on Monday, which also marked the beginning of the‘‘national push’’ to promote the festival.

‘‘We’ve had great exposure from all of the music websites,’’ Miss Notley said.

The Blues and Roots Festival will be held over Easter Saturday and Sunday, 2013, at the Riverina Regional Events Centre on Conargo Rd.

It is the same site as the Deniliquin Ute Muster, which is also organised by the Deni Play on the Plains Festival.

Carlos Santana, Chris Isaak, Steve Miller Band and Bonnie Raitt have already been confirmed for the event, with another announcement of more acts expected soon.

About 9000 patrons will be able to attend each day of the festival, with 3500 of those people expected to be one-day ticket holders.

That means about 12,500 people are expected to pass through the festival.

‘‘We are obviously hoping a lot of the Easter holiday makers from Deniliquin will come for either a day or weekend,’’ Miss Notley said.

‘‘We are also offering coach companies in surrounding towns the opportunity to bring people to us for the festival.

‘‘It’s a different demographic [of patrons, compared to the Deniliquin Ute Muster] which is great that we can offer two different festivals for different types of markets.’’

It is hoped introducing a new demographic of people to Deniliquin will also boost year-round tourism.

‘‘One of the main reasons for the Deni Ute Muster is for the town,’’ Miss Notley said.

‘‘We don’t think that’s any different for the Blues and Roots Festival.

‘‘The town can only benefit if we bring more festivals.’’

Miss Notley also confirmed that planning was still underway to introduce a third festival by 2015.