Music events are booming, according to new UK data showing record music tourist numbers and record spending in the sector in 2025. The figures from industry body UK Music reveal 24.7 million music tourists were attracted to the UK over the year, up 4.8% on 2024.
Against a backdrop of trending music tourism around the world, there were gains in both domestic and international music travel in the UK, with the latter seeing the biggest leap. As many as 22.6 million tourists from within the UK attended music gigs and festivals, an increase of 3.2% year on year, while 2.1 million music fans came from foreign source markets, representing a boom of 26.8% compared to 2024.
Entertainment A-listers and their runs of shows around the country helped to drive the increases. The Oasis comeback tour included 17 gigs performed to full capacity crowds across the UK, with seven at the capital’s Wembley Stadium, and five at the duo’s home venue in Manchester.
Ed Sheeran also did well at his run of homecoming shows in East Anglia, and performances by Beyoncé, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey were also big tickets over the year.
“Glasto” or Glastonbury Festival attracted 210,000 music lovers to the UK’s southwest over five days in June, drawn by headliners like Neil Young and Charli xcx, and generating record revenue of £75.2m (€86.8m), up from £68.4m in 2024, and pre-tax profits of £7.7 million.
‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis rises to a new peak of #2 (+11) on the Global Spotify chart with 3.77 million streams.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 13, 2026
It was released over 30 years ago. pic.twitter.com/Rp4V5WlVnu
Driven as well by other festivals such as Download and Reading, and the tours and gigs previously mentioned, overall music tourist spending reached £11.2 billion (€13.1 billion), a new high and an 11.3% increase year-on-year.
Music aficionados averaged a spend of £766 (€899) per person on accommodation, clothing, tickets, travel, and sundries. The biggest spend and the biggest increase in spending were seen in London, where music tourists splashed out 27.4% more than in 2024, taking the total to £3.4 billion (€3.99 billion) in 2025. The North West region also saw a healthy uptick in spending, up 15.6% from £1.2 billion (€1.41 billion) in 2024 to £1.4 billion (€1.64 billion) in 2025.
Business Matters highlights the importance of the music events sector for small businesses beyond the venues and producers. Of the £11.2 billion total spend, £5.7 billion was spent directly by consumers on tickets, food and drink, merchandise, travel and room bookings. But another £5.5 billion “flowed through the supply chain,” the outlet said, “from fencing and security contractors to restaurants stocking up for gig weekends.”
Take it away lads 🎶 pic.twitter.com/utc8UVOaD9
— England (@England) July 12, 2026
With 74,000 full-time equivalent jobs at stake, UK Music chief executive Tom Kiehl said: “The billions spent are a huge shot in the arm for towns and cities right across the UK and benefit hotels, restaurants, bars and transport firms and thousands of other businesses.”
Ian Murray, creative industries minister, said: “These record-breaking figures are a testament to what the UK’s music industry does better than anywhere else in the world.”
The sector however is not without challenges. 43 festivals were cancelled in 2025, meaning music tourism revenue could have been even higher. Work is ongoing by authorities and stakeholders to grow consumer confidence by cracking down on touts and unfair practices by ticketing agencies, and find responses to calls for more support for grassroot venues and the small firms down the supply chain.
