Concert and festival attendance in the United Kingdom (UK) 2012-2018

Attendance at music concerts and festivals in the United Kingdom (UK) increased slightly in 2018 to reach just under 30 million. This was thanks to a rise in the number of people going to music festivals; almost five million did so in 2018. Regions all over the UK will feel the benefit of the growing attendance numbers which will contribute to an increase in spending, but it’s London in particular that saw the highest music tourist spending figures in 2019.

Music festivals in the UK

Music fans don’t seem to be put off by the annual rise in ticket prices at major festivals like Glastonbury. But how far into line-up announcements do people buy their festival tickets? The majority wait for three quarters of the line-up to be announced.

Headline acts

Most music fans have seen an artist at a gig or festival that was previously unknown to them. Almost ten percent said they had done so in the last week. These newly discovered acts are unlikely to be on the list of the most-followed UK musicians on Instagram.