18.08.2026: In an article in The Times, UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl has hailed the rise in American music tourists flocking to the UK, citing the increase in stadium shows and longer runs by major artists as a contributing factor.

UK Music’s latest figures revealed a record 2.1 million overseas visitors attended concerts and festivals in the UK in 2025, marking a 27% spike on 2024’s total of 1.6 million. This rise was fuelled by high profile shows from the likes of Oasis, Dua Lipa, Beyoncé, Coldplay and Kendrick Lamar.

According to national tourism agency VisitBritain, around 440,000 of those overseas music tourists were likely to be from the US, with The Times highlighting higher ticket prices in the States as a possible reason for the growth in American music fans attending UK shows.

Speaking to The Times, UK Music Chief Executive Tom Kiehl said: “There is a growing trend for more stadium shows headlined with big acts and longer runs – including performers breaking through to major arenas for the first time.

“The range of shows that Americans are coming to see vary from stadium shows to venues like the Brixton Academy and shows outside London in Manchester or Birmingham.

“It’s not just the big festivals like Glastonbury, Victoria Park, All Points East and British Summer Time – there are a lot of different events that are attracting American tourists to see some of the biggest names in music here in the UK.

“If you think of events like Woodstock, Americans have had festivals for as long as the UK – but there is a unique feel to British festivals that attracts visitors from across the world.”

UK shows and festivals attracted a record 24.7 million music tourists in 2025, up by 4.8% on 2024’s total of 23.5 million. Those music tourists spent an all-time high of £11.2 billion in 2025 across the UK at major festivals and concerts like Glastonbury, Download, Reading, Boomtown and Wireless. The figure marks a huge 11.3% increase on the 2024 total spend of £10 billion.

You can read more on UK Music’s music tourism data here.