Record music tourism numbers in 2025
The Oasis reunion tour helped attract a record 24.7 million music tourists to concerts and festivals in the UK in 2025, according to new figures from UK Music published on Friday July 10. The long-awaited Gallagher brothers' reunion, Oasis Live '25 Tour, sold out stadiums across the country, contributing to a 4.8% increase from 23.5 million music tourists in 2024.
These music tourists spent an all-time high of £11.2 billion in 2025 at major festivals and concerts such as Glastonbury, Download, Reading, Boomtown and Wireless. This marks an 11.3% increase on the 2024 total spend of £10 billion, according to UK Music, the collective voice of the UK music industry.
Domestic and overseas visitor breakdown
Of the 24.7 million total music tourists, 22.6 million were from the UK, a 3.2% rise on the 2024 figure of 21.9 million. Overseas music tourists numbered 2.1 million, up a substantial 26.8% from 1.6 million in 2024. The increase was driven by overseas fans attending popular stadium shows, some of which were the only 2025 European dates for artists like Coldplay, Lana Del Rey and Oasis.
A series of Oasis gigs – including five at Manchester's Heaton Park, seven at Wembley Stadium and two at Cardiff's Principality Stadium – saw revenues surge across the UK. In the North West, music tourists' spending rose 15.6% from £1.2 billion in 2024 to £1.4 billion in 2025. In London, music tourism spending increased by 27.4% from £2.7 billion in 2024 to £3.4 billion last year.
Other major artists and regional boosts
The 1975, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo and Charli XCX were among the big names at Glastonbury in 2025, helping boost music tourism outside London and the North West. Ed Sheeran's run of shows at Ipswich Town's stadium boosted East Anglia. Music fans also poured into concerts by Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Chris Brown and Sam Fender.
South Korean artists Blackpink and Stray Kids played their own stadium headline shows in the UK, having previously headlined British Summer Time in London's Hyde Park. Catfish & The Bottlemen stepped up to stadiums for the first time in 2025.
Employment and spending breakdown
Music tourists supported 74,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the live music sector in 2025, up 3% on the 2024 total of 71,760. This small increase reflects growth in direct and indirect employment through the value chain supported by music tourism, particularly at stadium and arena level. However, this is not necessarily reflective of employment trends across the live music sector, especially at grassroots level where higher operating costs and Labour's NI contributions increase have hit employment.
Music tourism spending is made up of £5.7 billion spent directly by music tourists attending concerts and festivals, including ticket costs, on-site spend, travel, accommodation, and meals. A further £5.5 billion was spent indirectly through the value chain, including costs such as fencing, security, and restaurant ingredients.
Challenges facing the industry
However, the UK music industry faces major challenges threatening its world-leading status, including rising touring costs, closures of smaller and grassroots music venues, and the cost-of-living crisis – all highlighted by the Express' Strike A Chord campaign. Barriers to UK-EU touring post-Brexit continue to hamper opportunities for artists seeking to build new fanbases abroad. UK Music continues to campaign for policymakers in the UK and EU to boost cultural cooperation.
UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl said: “The record 24.7 million music tourists who spent £11.2 billion to enjoy the experience of seeing their favourite acts live is a tribute to the 220,000 people who work across the UK music industry. 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.”
Kiehl added: “However, the Government must support music fans by delivering on their manifesto pledge to tackle the menace of ticket touts who charge exorbitant prices for resale tickets – squeezing the amount of cash fans have to spend on gig-going. We need to see long overdue Government and EU action to help UK performers and musicians touring the EU who have to deal with soaring costs and red tape post-Brexit. We also need to see music's grassroots protected and nurtured.”
Creative Industries Minister Ian Murray said: “These record-breaking figures are a testament to what the UK's music industry does better than anywhere else in the world. Whether it's Oasis playing Heaton Park, or an up-and-coming artist finding their feet on a smaller stage like the Dublin Castle or The Troubadour, this is a nation of incredible live performance, with world-renowned venues to support it. That's why this Government is committed to backing the entire music ecosystem in its upcoming plan for music: protecting fans from the exploitation of ticket touts, supporting the grassroots venues and studios that are the lifeblood of our future talent, and working to improve opportunities for UK artists to tour in Europe.”
