Oasis reunion helps draw record 25m ‘music tourists’ to UK concerts

Big name artists including Oasis with their highly anticipated reunion tour, Coldplay and Beyoncé helped to attract a record number of fans to travel to watch live music last year, helped by a surge in overseas visitors at UK gigs.A report from the industry body UK Music estimated that 24.7 million “music tourists” attended concerts and festivals last year, up 4.8% on 2024, leading to an unprecedented £11.2bn of spending across the UK economy.The vast majority (85%) were UK Music fans designated as “domestic tourists” because they travelled more than three times the average commute to go to an event.The number of overseas music tourists soared by 27% to 2.1 million, well up on the 1.6 million in 2024. Several major artists, including Coldplay, Lana Del Rey and Oasis, played only in the UK last year, helping drive overseas music tourist numbers.Music UK did not have data for overall gig attendees, but it is likely to be far higher when local fans are included.Lana Del Rey performs at Hampden Park, Glasgow, in June last year. She was among several major artists to perform only in the UK. Photograph: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty ImagesThe report gave particular credit to the Gallagher brothers’ reunion tour – where Oasis played for the first time in 15 years – despite a scandal over ticket pricing for the most profitable run of gigs in British history. The band’s decision to play five gigs at Manchester’s Heaton Park led to music tourist spending in the north-west rising 16% year on year to £1.4bn.Other major acts to play in the UK last year included Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Chris Brown, Sam Fender and the South Korean artists Blackpink and Stray Kids. The perennial popularity of Glastonbury, which featured Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, Charli xcx and the 1975, also helped fuel a bumper summer.Charli xcx at the perennially popular Glastonbury festival last June. Photograph: Scott A Garfitt/APIan Murray, the 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.“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.”The record £11.2bn spent on music tourism last year is up 11% on the £10bn in 2024. The figure includes £5.7bn spent directly by music tourists attending concerts and festivals, including the cost of a ticket, food and drink on site, merchandise, travel, accommodation and meals while travelling to events.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionA further £5.5bn was spent indirectly, including on costs such as fencing and security at concerts. The record spend has also been boosted by the impact of inflation, as well as soaring ticket prices. Oasis fans splashed out more than £1bn on the reunion tour, more than £766 a person across the tour.Chris Martin of Coldplay at Wembley last August. Photograph: Sipa US/AlamyThe report also highlighted the dominance of London, where music tourism spending increased 27.4% from £2.7bn to £3.4bn, with the capital accounting for more than 30% of the total spend last year.“The billions spent are a huge shot in the arm for towns and cities right across the UK,” said Tom Kiehl, the chief executive of UK Music. “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.”UK Music said the number of full-time equivalent jobs in live music rose 3% last year, from 71,760 to 74,000.