London welcomes one million to live shows in one week

London welcomed more than one million people to live shows last week, which included performances from the likes of Lana Del Rey, Bruce Springsteen, Blur, The Weeknd and more.

Festivals and shows generated roughly £320m (€375m/$419m) in ticket sales according to stats from the Music Venue Trust (MVT), while UK and international visitors boosted local hotels, restaurants and cultural attractions. 

The English capital has hosted events such as British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park, as well as Greenwich Summer Sounds plus performances from Maroon 5, the Weeknd, Blur and The 1975. 

More than 80,000 people went to see Blur, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard at Wembley Stadium, with The Weeknd setting records at his two performances at the London Stadium with over 80,000 people attending each night. 

BST Hyde Park brought in over 60,000 people a day to watch the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. MVT and the Mayor of London’s Office have estimated that more than a million have seen live music in the capital over the last week. 

These performances followed on from events in the capital over the last few months, including Beyoncé playing across five nights in May as part of her Renaissance world tour, while Harry Styles also boasted sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium. 

There is also more to look forward to in the capital in the coming weeks, including performances from Busted, Bebe Rexha and Blink 182. Somerset House Summer Series, which will run until Sunday, has also featured performances from Gabriels, Interpol and Alison Goldfrapp. 

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “London’s music scene is the best in the world with renowned artists playing to thousands across our capital’s fantastic stadiums and venues. London has been abuzz with excitement over the last week, and given everything that happened during the pandemic, it’s genuinely fantastic that over million people were able to see brilliant live music last week. 

“Music inspires in a unique way, bringing together people like nothing else can, and plays a vital role in driving forward our economic recovery. From our world-class stadiums to grassroots venues unearthing the next generation of talent, London is the undisputed world leader in live music, and there’s a lot more still to come over this summer.”

Beverley Whitrick, chief operating officer of Music Venue Trust, added: “Music is the glue that binds London together. It’s fantastic to see so many people celebrating the incredible culture of diverse music that is an essential part of our modern British identity, and to see how artists like Wolf Alice, Dua Lipa, Blur, The 1975, Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Charlie XCX and Coldplay have progressed out of the smallest London venues to headline our biggest arenas and stadiums. 

“Tonight in a small venue in London the artist that will play Wembley in 10 years time is taking the very first step of their career. Be in that room when it happens.”