Fans of the World of Wearable Arts poured almost $23 million into Wellington's economy last year.
An independent survey has found that the total takings of $22.6 million were more than $7.5 million up on 2009.
The survey found more than 47,000 people attended last year's even event and 71.6 percent of them were visitors to the capital.
The World of Wearable Arts moved to Wellington from Nelson in 2005.
This year, the usual two-week season will be extended to provide an extra 8000 tickets.