Cardiff celebrates successful summer of music as new figures show more people choosing to Visit Cardiff

Monday, 17 August 2026

From sold-out concerts in the grounds of Cardiff Castle to major outdoor shows at Blackweir Fields and the end of a 30 year wait for Metallica to return to Wales, another summer of live music in Cardiff has come to an end, having showcased the city as one of the UK’s leading destinations for major events and encouraged thousands of music fans to Visit Cardiff.

The summer concerts by artists including The Cure, Teddy Swims, Pitbull, Lewis Capaldi, David Byrne, Katy Perry, Self Esteem, and Richard Ashcroft have seen Cardiff building on the success of previous years as the city continues to strengthen its global reputation as a music city and destination world-class concerts as well as major sporting events.

While economic data for summer 2026 is not yet available, newly released tourism figures for 2025 show Cardiff’s visitor economy was already growing strongly before this year’s programme of concerts.

In 2025, Cardiff attracted 18.69 million visitors, an increase of 4.4% on the previous year and almost 800,000 more visits than in 2024. Tourism’s economic impact also rose by 6.7% to £1.86 billion.

The growth in Cardiff’s visitor economy has been supported by a range of council-led activity, including the work of Visit Cardiff in promoting the city as a destination and the support it provides for major concerts through Cardiff Music City, the in house events such as Cardiff Food and Drink Festival it runs, and a range of city centre management initiatives and business support programmes that help local companies make the most of the opportunities created by tourism and events.

Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said: “Over the past few months we’ve seen Cardiff Castle and Blackweir Fields once again welcome tens of thousands of music fans. We already know that in 2025, concerts at Blackweir Fields alone resulted in an additional 700,000 visits to eating and drinking premises in the city, while the latest tourism figures show nearly 19 million visits to the city that year, supporting more than 12,100 full-time equivalent jobs.

“Taken together, those figures suggest that our focus on music, alongside sporting and other events is helping to strengthen Cardiff’s already significant appeal as a destination and supporting the city’s economy.

 “This summer’s programme aimed to build on the success of previous years and with 2027 set to see the Tour de France Grand Départ GB staged in Cardiff, Andrea Bocelli take to the stage at the Principality Stadium, more concerts at Blackweir Fields and Cardiff Castle, alongside the return of events like Cardiff Food and Drink Festival, we’re confident that the city will once again have something for everyone who chooses to Visit Cardiff — whether they’re looking for music, sport, culture, shopping or simply to enjoy our fantastic parks and waterfront.”