A new study finds that musicians including Anastacia, Barry Manilow, Culture Club, Deftones, Hilary Duff, James Arthur, Manic Street Preachers & Suede, Metallica and My Chemical Romance are set to drive £23.3m worth of Gig Trip Spend to Cardiff.
The analysis, released as part of Superbreak’s Put Britain on the Setlist campaign, looked at 196 UK 2026 arena, stadium and major outdoor headline concert dates across 36 artists, estimating the non-ticket visitor spend generated when fans travel to see live music.
Cardiff ranks as one of the UK’s highest-value gig trip cities, sitting ahead of Birmingham in the national ranking for estimated Gig Trip Spend.
Superbreak says the findings show the opportunity for Cardiff’s hospitality, travel, leisure and night-time economy when major artists include the city on their tours.
James Lavers, UK Travel Manager for Superbreak, said,
“Cardiff’s Principality Stadium makes it one of the UK’s most important live music and event cities, and our research shows how valuable major gigs can be for the wider local economy.
“When fans travel to Cardiff to see artists like Metallica, My Chemical Romance or Manic Street Preachers & Suede, they are not only buying tickets. They are booking hotels, trains, taxis, restaurants, bars, parking, merchandise and often a full weekend around the show.
“While our analysis estimates that major 2026 gigs could generate £23.3m in direct non-ticket spend for Cardiff, the wider picture is clear. London still captures the majority of the value, which shows why more regional tour dates matter.
“More major gigs in cities like Cardiff mean more hotel stays, more restaurant bookings, more pre-show drinks, more late-night taxis and more visitors discovering the city.”
One extra Harry Styles date could be worth £7.7m to Cardiff
As part of the research, Superbreak also modelled illustrative “what if” scenarios to show what one additional regional stadium date by a major artist could mean for a host city.
The model suggests that one extra Harry Styles stadium date in Cardiff could generate an estimated £7.7m in direct non-ticket Gig Trip Spend.