Tuesday 19 May 2026 6:28 am
Harry Styles concertgoers will spend nearly £1,000 each
Harry Styles’ 12-night Wembley residency is set to rake in more than £1bn in spending in the capital, smashing previous records set by Taylor Swift concertgoers.The Mancunian popstar is expected to attract £88.3m in spending per night, far higher than the £66.5m recorded during Taylor Swift’s UK Eras Tour dates in 2024, according to data from Barclays.Record spending at Swift’s London dates was recognised in parliament and prompted the coinage ‘Swiftonomics‘, but the bank’s data suggests the former One Direction star could eclipse this economic contribution.Ticket holders for one of the 12 nights at Harry Styles’ Together, Together Wembley residency in June are expected to splash out just shy of £1,000 each.This spending includes an average of £143 per ticket, plus more than £100 on transport, accommodation and food and drink.Styles beats Manchester rivalsOne in five concertgoers (19 per cent) said they spent more than they had planned on their tickets, 66 per cent said they would have splashed out more, according to Barclays.The Wembley shows are Styles’ only dates in the UK on this tour, with Amsterdam as his only other European location, meaning fans are expected to travel long-haul.Ticket holders for Styles’ dozen UK dates are expected to spend £1.059bn in total, just edging out the £1.057bn spent on Oasis’ comeback tour in 2025 but smashing the £997m spent on Swift’s dates in 2024.Rich Robinson, head of hospitality and leisure at Barclays, said: “Harry Styles’ Wembley residency is set to deliver a significant boost to London, with fans expected to spend across hospitality, retail and leisure as they make the most of their trip to the capital.”This is despite consumer confidence in the UK slumping to its lowest level in two years, as Brits prepare to cut down on non-essentials.‘Concert tourism’ on the riseThe huge amount to be spent on Styles’ tour “underlines consumers’ growing appetite for memorable experiences, as people increasingly prioritise events that feel personal, meaningful and worth travelling for,” Robinson said.Tom Corbett, managing director of sponsorship at Barclays, said: “‘Concert tourism’ is on the rise because of the extent to which people value unique, shared experiences – so much so, that they’re willing to invest in them even when cutting back elsewhere, and to travel to see their favourite artists perform.”In 2024, vinyl records returned to the Office for National Statistics’ inflation-tracking basket of goods for the first time in more than 30 years, as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour boosted the popularity of physical media.Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of fans plan to dress up on theme to Harry Styles’ tour dates this summer, so it remains to be seen whether feather boas or running shoes could wind up in the inflation basket next year.
