Christopher BarrettHarry Styles’ record run of 12 shows at Wembley Stadium (cap. 90,000) will inject £1.1 billion into the UK economy as London prepares for a record summer of live music.
The Mayor of London’s office is predicting summer shows will attracts 7.5 million visitors and bring in around £2.7bn in revenue to the capital.
Live Nation said its nearly 300 summer shows in London will host 3.1m fans, with 44 per cent of shows taking place in club and grassroots venues.
At the other end of the spectrum, Wembley Stadium will host 33 concerts featuring a range of international stars, including six performances from Bruno Mars. Further east, London Stadium (80,000) will host more than 350,000 fans for concerts by acts including Take That and Metallica, while Tottenham Stadium (70,000) is expecting 500,000 fans across shows by acts such as Bad Bunny and K-pop stars BTS.
AEG said The O2 arena (20,000) is set for its busiest August on record, with 16 sell-out shows including Ariana Grande performing her only concerts outside of North America this year with a 10-date run. It will also host Olivia Dean for six performances, and Lily Allen for three.
Summer festivals in London include BST Hyde Park (65,000), with its nine headline show days, and event series at venues such as Alexandra Palace Park, Victoria Park, Brockwell Park and Crystal Palace playing significant roles in fuelling the London economy.
“It shows why London is the undisputed capital of music and will provide a huge boost to our economy, as we build a better London for everyone,” said Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
The summer will also see the city’s indoor venue portfolio strengthened with the opening of the British Airways ARC in Olympia next month. The AEG-run, 3,800-capacity, live music and events venue will open with Self Esteem and feature a five-night residency from Van Morrison.
Live Nation UK & Ireland chairman Denis Desmond said, “London is one of the greatest live music cities in the world, with headliners coming to the capital from nearly every continent this year. From emerging talent in intimate rooms to historic headline moments in parks, arenas and stadiums, that mix is what keeps the UK at the centre of live music.”
AEG International president & CEO Alex Hill said that the promoters’ large-scale shows and summer residencies at its venues not only reflect the strength and diversity of today’s music landscape but also reinforce London’s ability to attract global audiences.
Superstruct Entertainment CEO Alex Mahon said London was able to present music fans with an unbeatable range of live music options: “Walk through any London festival this summer and you see what makes this city extraordinary. A generation that refuses to stay home, dressed up, switched on, and choosing to be in the room rather than behind a screen. London gives young people the choice no other capital can match: every genre, every weekend, every postcode. When a city belongs to its young, they pour their creativity and their nights back into it. That is what keeps London the most exciting place on earth to be young right now.”