Max SteventonThis week’s tube strikes have led to stadium shows by Coldplay and Post Malone being postponed, and could cost the events industry £150 million, according to the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA).
The strikes, which started last night (7 September) and will last until 11 September, have led to Coldplay’s Wembley Stadium concerts being rescheduled, including today’s (8 September) gig being postponed until 12 September. The band said that without a Tube service it would not be possible to get 82,000 people to the concert and home again safely, and therefore no event licence could be granted for the nights of 7 and 8 September. US singer Post Malone was due to perform at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 7 and 8 September, the shows have been moved to 20 and 21 September.
The last Tube strikes, in March 2023, are understood to have cost the hospitality sector £3.5bn. NTIA CEO Michael Kill said that since 2022, rail and tube strikes had cost the UK’s night time economy billions in lost revenue and that forecasts indicate that a further £150m could be lost during this week’s strike: “This devastating projection comes at a point when the sector is relying heavily on consistent week-to-week trade to stay afloat.
“Consumer confidence in transport is already at an all-time low, with many people no longer assured that they can travel safely and reliably at night. Recent research by Obsurvant highlights that for 18–30 year olds in particular, the guarantee of getting home safely is a fundamental condition for staying out later. Without that confidence, people choose to stay closer to home, cut nights short, or not go out at all.”