• Theatre Breaks

Gig Trip Value 2026

The UK's £825 million gig-trip economy
Major concerts don't just sell tickets. They drive hotel stays, restaurant bookings, train journeys and weekend breaks.

We analysed 196 major UK shows across 36 artists to estimate how much direct non-ticket spending they generate for cities across Britain.
36
Artists Analysed
196
Eligible UK Dates
£825m
Estimated Non-Ticket Spend
40+
Cities Included

How to Read This Research

Gig Trip Value is Superbreak's estimate of the direct non-ticket visitor spend created by major concert audiences. This includes accommodation, travel, food and drink, local transport or parking, merchandise, pre- and post-show spending and next-day tourism activity for overnight visitors.

Ticket sales are not included. Figures are modelled estimates, so they should be read as indicative visitor-spend figures rather than audited economic-impact numbers.

Key Findings

  • Harry Styles ranks first by estimated Gig Trip Value, with £132.3m generated from eligible UK dates analysed.
  • Take That has the highest Regional Gig Trip Value, with £61.8m generated beyond Greater London.
  • The model estimates around £825m in direct non-ticket Gig Trip Value from eligible 2026 UK concerts analysed.
  • Around £300m of the modelled value is generated outside Greater London.
  • London ranks first by total Gig Trip Value, while Manchester is the strongest-performing city outside London.
  • One additional regional stadium date by a major artist could unlock millions in extra Gig Trip Value for host cities.

Rankings and Tables

Top Artists

RankArtistOverall Gig Trip ValueUK CitiesEstimated Room Nights
1Harry Styles£132.3m172,900
2Take That£91.2m756,437
3The Weeknd£68.0m238,673
4Bruno Mars£66.2m136,450
5My Chemical Romance£43.1m324,705
6Bon Jovi£40.2m222,757
7Zach Bryan£37.2m422,534
8Luke Combs£36.4m221,214
9Metallica£32.7m319,300
10Ariana Grande£24.5m113,500

Harry Styles tops the Gig Trip Value rankings, generating an estimated £132.3m in direct non-ticket visitor spending from eligible UK dates analysed. Take That ranks second overall but stands out for generating the highest Regional Gig Trip Value among the artists included.

The rankings show two different touring patterns. Some artists concentrate demand through major London runs, while others spread visitor spending across multiple UK cities.

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Top Cities

RankCityOverall Gig Trip ValueNo. of ArtistsEstimated Room Nights
1London£524.8m32289,065
2Manchester£78.6m2050,716
3Glasgow£44.3m1828,768
4Edinburgh£32.4m420,491
5Liverpool£31.1m820,182
6Cardiff£23.3m1115,043
7Birmingham£21.3m1313,841
8Coventry£12.3m18,100
9Belfast£10.6m36,885
10Leeds£9.8m76,379
11Sheffield£6.9m54,556
12Newcastle£6.8m64,455
13Southampton£6.7m14,372
14Nottingham£5.1m53,375
15Sunderland£5.0m13,308
16Bournemouth£3.1m32,025
17Aberdeen£3.1m22,025

London dominates the city rankings, accounting for the largest share of Gig Trip Value generated by the eligible tours included in the study. Manchester ranks as the strongest-performing city outside the capital, followed by Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The findings show how major concerts can influence spending across accommodation, transport, food and drink, and other tourism-related activity in cities throughout Britain.

Most Nationally Distributed Tours

RankArtistUK Tour DatesRegional Gig Trip ValueOutside London ShareEstimated Room Nights
1The Script13£16.2m86.9%11,887
2James Arthur12£14.8m85.8%10,968
3Paul Heaton10£12.5m83.6%9,457
4Culture Club9£11.4m82.3%8,748
5Manic Street Preachers & Suede8£10.6m81.2%8,242
6Take That7£61.8m67.8%56,437
7Barry Manilow6£6.4m72.5%5,542
8J. Cole5£9.1m55.2%9,929
9Def Leppard5£6.9m73.8%5,846
10Korn5£6.6m72.9%5,623

The most nationally distributed tours are not always the highest-ranking by overall Gig Trip Value, but they spread visitor spending across a wider range of destinations. Cities including Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle all benefit when artists perform beyond London.

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Most London-Centric Tours

RankArtistOverall Gig Trip ValueLondon DatesUK Tour DatesLondon ShareEstimated Room Nights
1Harry Styles£132.3m121100.0%72,900
2Bruno Mars£66.2m61100.0%36,450
3Ariana Grande£24.5m101100.0%13,500
4BTS£15.4m21100.0%8,485
5Bad Bunny£15.4m21100.0%8,485
6Gorillaz£7.7m11100.0%4,242
7Summer Walker£4.9m21100.0%2,700
8Bon Jovi£40.2m3282.2%22,757
9The Weeknd£68.0m5281.1%38,673
10My Chemical Romance£43.1m3376.8%24,705

The London-centric ranking highlights how concentrated parts of the UK's live-music economy remain. Multi-night runs at Wembley Stadium and The O2 can generate significant Gig Trip Value within a single destination, particularly when artists perform exclusively in the capital.

Read the Full Article

Explore by Artist

Browse all 36 artists included in the model. Each card uses the same fields so the figures are easy to compare.

Artists A-F
Anastacia

Gig Trip Value: £2.3m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £0.8m

UK Cities: 2

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 1

Estimated Room Nights: 1,350

Cities Captured: Cardiff, London

Ariana Grande

Gig Trip Value: £24.5m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £0

UK Cities: 1

London Dates: 10

Dates Outside London: 0

Estimated Room Nights: 13,500

Cities Captured: London

Bad Bunny

Gig Trip Value: £15.4m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £0

UK Cities: 1

London Dates: 2

Dates Outside London: 0

Estimated Room Nights: 8,485

Cities Captured: London

Barry Manilow

Gig Trip Value: £8.9m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £6.4m

UK Cities: 6

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 5

Estimated Room Nights: 5,542

Cities Captured: Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London

Bon Jovi

Gig Trip Value: £40.2m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £7.2m

UK Cities: 2

London Dates: 3

Dates Outside London: 1

Estimated Room Nights: 22,757

Cities Captured: Edinburgh, London

Bruno Mars

Gig Trip Value: £66.2m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £0

UK Cities: 1

London Dates: 6

Dates Outside London: 0

Estimated Room Nights: 36,450

Cities Captured: London

BTS

Gig Trip Value: £15.4m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £0

UK Cities: 1

London Dates: 2

Dates Outside London: 0

Estimated Room Nights: 8,485

Cities Captured: London

Culture Club

Gig Trip Value: £13.8m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £11.4m

UK Cities: 9

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 8

Estimated Room Nights: 8,748

Cities Captured: Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield

Deep Purple

Gig Trip Value: £6.7m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £6.7m

UK Cities: 4

London Dates: 0

Dates Outside London: 4

Estimated Room Nights: 4,319

Cities Captured: Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle

Def Leppard

Gig Trip Value: £9.4m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £6.9m

UK Cities: 5

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 4

Estimated Room Nights: 5,846

Cities Captured: Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Sheffield

Deftones

Gig Trip Value: £8.8m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £6.4m

UK Cities: 5

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 4

Estimated Room Nights: 5,466

Cities Captured: Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester

Doja Cat

Gig Trip Value: £8.0m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £5.6m

UK Cities: 4

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 3

Estimated Room Nights: 4,968

Cities Captured: Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Manchester

Florence + The Machine

Gig Trip Value: £3.7m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £3.7m

UK Cities: 1

London Dates: 0

Dates Outside London: 1

Estimated Room Nights: 2,362

Cities Captured: Edinburgh

Foo Fighters

Gig Trip Value: £12.7m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £12.7m

UK Cities: 1

London Dates: 0

Dates Outside London: 2

Estimated Room Nights: 8,235

Cities Captured: Liverpool

Artists G-M
Good Charlotte

Gig Trip Value: £4.9m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £2.5m

UK Cities: 2

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 1

Estimated Room Nights: 2,936

Cities Captured: London, Manchester

Gorillaz

Gig Trip Value: £7.7m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £0

UK Cities: 1

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 0

Estimated Room Nights: 4,242

Cities Captured: London

Harry Styles

Gig Trip Value: £132.3m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £0

UK Cities: 1

London Dates: 12

Dates Outside London: 0

Estimated Room Nights: 72,900

Cities Captured: London

Hilary Duff

Gig Trip Value: £9.6m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £4.7m

UK Cities: 4

London Dates: 2

Dates Outside London: 3

Estimated Room Nights: 5,724

Cities Captured: Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester

J. Cole

Gig Trip Value: £16.4m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £9.1m

UK Cities: 5

London Dates: 3

Dates Outside London: 5

Estimated Room Nights: 9,929

Cities Captured: Birmingham, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Nottingham

James Arthur

Gig Trip Value: £17.2m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £14.8m

UK Cities: 12

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 11

Estimated Room Nights: 10,968

Cities Captured: Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield

Jessie Ware

Gig Trip Value: £6.4m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £3.9m

UK Cities: 3

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 2

Estimated Room Nights: 3,902

Cities Captured: Glasgow, London, Manchester

Joji

Gig Trip Value: £4.9m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £2.5m

UK Cities: 2

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 1

Estimated Room Nights: 2,936

Cities Captured: London, Manchester

KAYTRANADA

Gig Trip Value: £6.5m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £4.1m

UK Cities: 3

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 2

Estimated Room Nights: 4,003

Cities Captured: Birmingham, London, Manchester

Kings of Leon

Gig Trip Value: £7.5m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £7.5m

UK Cities: 3

London Dates: 0

Dates Outside London: 3

Estimated Room Nights: 4,860

Cities Captured: Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester

Korn

Gig Trip Value: £9.0m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £6.6m

UK Cities: 5

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 4

Estimated Room Nights: 5,623

Cities Captured: Birmingham, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle

Luke Combs

Gig Trip Value: £36.4m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £14.3m

UK Cities: 2

London Dates: 2

Dates Outside London: 2

Estimated Room Nights: 21,214

Cities Captured: Edinburgh, London

Manic Street Preachers & Suede

Gig Trip Value: £13.1m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £10.6m

UK Cities: 8

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 8

Estimated Room Nights: 8,242

Cities Captured: Birmingham, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Nottingham

Metallica

Gig Trip Value: £32.7m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £13.1m

UK Cities: 3

London Dates: 2

Dates Outside London: 2

Estimated Room Nights: 19,300

Cities Captured: Cardiff, Glasgow, London

My Chemical Romance

Gig Trip Value: £43.1m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £10.0m

UK Cities: 3

London Dates: 3

Dates Outside London: 2

Estimated Room Nights: 24,705

Cities Captured: Glasgow, Liverpool, London

Artists N-Z
Paul Heaton

Gig Trip Value: £14.9m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £12.5m

UK Cities: 10

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 9

Estimated Room Nights: 9,457

Cities Captured: Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield

Robyn

Gig Trip Value: £6.4m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £3.9m

UK Cities: 3

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 2

Estimated Room Nights: 3,902

Cities Captured: Glasgow, London, Manchester

Summer Walker

Gig Trip Value: £4.9m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £0

UK Cities: 1

London Dates: 2

Dates Outside London: 0

Estimated Room Nights: 2,700

Cities Captured: London

Take That

Gig Trip Value: £91.2m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £61.8m

UK Cities: 7

London Dates: 3

Dates Outside London: 12

Estimated Room Nights: 56,437

Cities Captured: Cardiff, Coventry, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Southampton, Sunderland

The Script

Gig Trip Value: £18.6m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £16.2m

UK Cities: 13

London Dates: 1

Dates Outside London: 12

Estimated Room Nights: 11,887

Cities Captured: Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield

The Weeknd

Gig Trip Value: £68.0m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £12.9m

UK Cities: 2

London Dates: 5

Dates Outside London: 2

Estimated Room Nights: 38,673

Cities Captured: London, Manchester

Zach Bryan

Gig Trip Value: £37.2m

Regional Gig Trip Value: £21.8m

UK Cities: 4

London Dates: 2

Dates Outside London: 4

Estimated Room Nights: 22,534

Cities Captured: Belfast, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London

Explore by City

Browse the captured cities included in the final city view. Cities are listed alphabetically to make them easier to find.

Cities A-F
Aberdeen

Gig Trip Value: £3.1m

No. of Artists: 2

Estimated Room Nights: 2,025

Leading Artists: The Script, James Arthur

Belfast

Gig Trip Value: £10.6m

No. of Artists: 3

Estimated Room Nights: 6,885

Leading Artists: Zach Bryan, The Script, James Arthur

Birmingham

Gig Trip Value: £21.3m

No. of Artists: 13

Estimated Room Nights: 13,841

Leading Artists: Def Leppard, J. Cole, Korn, The Script, Barry Manilow, Culture Club

Bournemouth

Gig Trip Value: £3.1m

No. of Artists: 3

Estimated Room Nights: 2,025

Leading Artists: The Script, Manic Street Preachers & Suede, James Arthur

Cardiff

Gig Trip Value: £23.3m

No. of Artists: 11

Estimated Room Nights: 15,043

Leading Artists: Metallica, Take That, Manic Street Preachers & Suede, The Script, Barry Manilow, Hilary Duff

Coventry

Gig Trip Value: £12.3m

No. of Artists: 1

Estimated Room Nights: 8,100

Leading Artists: Take That

Edinburgh

Gig Trip Value: £32.4m

No. of Artists: 4

Estimated Room Nights: 20,491

Leading Artists: Luke Combs, Bon Jovi, Zach Bryan, Florence + The Machine

Cities G-L
Glasgow

Gig Trip Value: £44.3m

No. of Artists: 18

Estimated Room Nights: 28,768

Leading Artists: Take That, Metallica, My Chemical Romance, Kings of Leon, Deep Purple, Def Leppard

Leeds

Gig Trip Value: £9.8m

No. of Artists: 7

Estimated Room Nights: 6,379

Leading Artists: Korn, The Script, Barry Manilow, Culture Club, Manic Street Preachers & Suede, Paul Heaton

Liverpool

Gig Trip Value: £31.1m

No. of Artists: 8

Estimated Room Nights: 20,182

Leading Artists: Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, Zach Bryan, The Script, Barry Manilow, Culture Club

London

Gig Trip Value: £524.8m

No. of Artists: 32

Estimated Room Nights: 289,065

Leading Artists: Harry Styles, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Bon Jovi, My Chemical Romance, Take That

Cities M-Z
Manchester

Gig Trip Value: £78.6m

No. of Artists: 20

Estimated Room Nights: 50,716

Leading Artists: Take That, The Weeknd, J. Cole, The Script, Jessie Ware, Manic Street Preachers & Suede

Newcastle

Gig Trip Value: £6.8m

No. of Artists: 6

Estimated Room Nights: 4,455

Leading Artists: Deep Purple, Korn, The Script, Culture Club, Paul Heaton, James Arthur

Nottingham

Gig Trip Value: £5.1m

No. of Artists: 5

Estimated Room Nights: 3,375

Leading Artists: J. Cole, The Script, Manic Street Preachers & Suede, Paul Heaton, James Arthur

Sheffield

Gig Trip Value: £6.9m

No. of Artists: 5

Estimated Room Nights: 4,556

Leading Artists: Def Leppard, The Script, Culture Club, Paul Heaton, James Arthur

Southampton

Gig Trip Value: £6.7m

No. of Artists: 1

Estimated Room Nights: 4,372

Leading Artists: Take That

Sunderland

Gig Trip Value: £5.0m

No. of Artists: 1

Estimated Room Nights: 3,308

Leading Artists: Take That

What One Extra Harry Styles Regional Date Could Unlock

These scenarios show what one additional regional date by a stadium-scale artist could mean for local visitor economies. They are illustrative only and are not predictions or confirmed tour plans.

Hypothetical CityRepresentative VenueEstimated Extra Gig Trip ValueEstimated Hotel Room Nights
CardiffPrincipality Stadium£7.7m4,990
EdinburghScottish Gas Murrayfield£7.2m4,532
ManchesterEtihad Stadium£6.4m4,149
GlasgowBarclays Hampden£5.4m3,510
BirminghamUtilita Arena Birmingham£1.6m1,066
Read the Full Article

Methodology and FAQs

Methodology Summary

Superbreak analysed publicly announced standalone arena, stadium and qualifying major outdoor headline concerts across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, based on eligible dates available as of 1 June 2026. Festivals, club nights, tribute acts, theatre residencies, comedy events, sporting events and one-off charity performances were excluded.

Estimated attendance is based on published venue-capacity proxies and a standard 90% occupancy assumption. Visitor spend is modelled using conservative visitor-mix assumptions and published travel, hospitality and tourism benchmarks. Ticket sales and wider economic multipliers are excluded.

View the Full Methodology & Sources
What is Gig Trip Value?

Gig Trip Value is Superbreak's estimate of direct non-ticket visitor spend generated by concert audiences. It includes accommodation, travel, food and drink, local transport or parking, merchandise, pre- and post-show spending and next-day tourism activity for overnight visitors.

How was Gig Trip Value calculated?

The model uses published tour dates, venue-capacity proxies, a standard 90% occupancy assumption, visitor-type assumptions and spend benchmarks for different attendee groups.

Which shows were included and excluded?

The analysis includes standalone arena, stadium and qualifying major outdoor headline concerts in the UK. Festivals, club nights, tribute acts, theatre residencies, comedy events, sporting events and one-off charity performances were excluded.

Why does London dominate the total figures?

Many major artists in the model have eligible UK dates concentrated in London, and large venues such as Wembley Stadium and The O2 can generate significant visitor spend in one location.

What does Regional Gig Trip Value mean?

Regional Gig Trip Value refers to estimated Gig Trip Value generated by eligible UK dates outside Greater London.

Can this data be used?

Yes. Journalists, bloggers and publishers may reference the findings. Please credit Superbreak Analysis and link back to this page where possible.

What data sources were used?

The research uses official artist tour pages, venue calendars, promoter and ticketing listings, venue-capacity sources, hotel snapshots and published travel, hospitality and tourism benchmarks.

Ready to Make a Gig of It?

Whether it's Harry Styles at Wembley, Take That in Manchester, Metallica in Cardiff or Luke Combs in Edinburgh, the best trips often start with a date in the diary.

A gig gives you the reason. Superbreak helps turn it into a break.

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