Scotland's 2025 Gigonomics Report

With summer in full swing, so too comes festival season and a plethora of tours and gigs from the world’s biggest artists. From chart toppers and up-and-comers to oldies but goldies and reforming bands of the past, the music scene across the UK is booming this year 🎸. 

This surge of gigs and tours is seeing many people fuse their love of music with their love of travel, venturing to new destinations for the chance to see their favourite artists perform. As a music capital, Scotland is high on the list of gig-trippers.  

To understand more about this travel trend, FlixBus analysed which concerts and festivals are estimated to bring the biggest economic boom to Scotland. This included calculating the total spend for each artist or event by summing estimates for tickets, accommodation, food and drinks, travel, and other spend. 

So, let’s see what we uncovered 🤩

What is gig-tripping?

Gig-tripping is a fairly new term, coined to define the practice of planning travel around a gig or music festival. Of course, it’s not a new concept, roadies have been travelling to see their favourite artists for decades, but gig-tripping is a little different.

Instead of hitting the road for months at a time to get to every gig possible, gig-trippers are seeking out one or two concerts in a single destination and planning their trip around it. The reasons for gig-tripping vary too, whether it’s saving money, seeing a new destination, or simply because home town tickets were unavailable.

We’ve all been there, queuing online for tickets to see your favourite musician or band, and then boom, the site crashes 🫨. Panic sets in and the choice between missing out or travelling farther afield must be made. If you’re anything like us, FOMO sets in and so begins gig-tripping.

2025’s biggest gigs in Scotland

Scotland is firmly on the map for gigs and festivals in 2025 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿. Analysing data across ticket prices, accommodation spend for non-locals, food and drinks, travel, amongst other spend, we have compiled a list of the musical artists pulling in the biggest crowds and generating millions for the local economy in 2025. 

Oasis

Kicking off our top income generators is, of course, Oasis. The Manchester boys are back and embarking on their Oasis Live ‘25 tour, nine years after their infamous band split in 2009.

The band is set to play for 210,000 fans over three dates at Murrayfield in Edinburgh this August, generating an estimated £79,966,845 for the Scottish economy. A large portion of this comes from ticket sales, with tickets starting at £151. Although this doesn’t account for resellers, the actual sum could be significantly higher.

It’s also estimated that over 73,000 non-locals will attend these gigs, further boosting the spending for travel, accommodation, and food and drinks in the city. 

TRNSMT

Founded in 2017, TRANSMT Festival is a regular feature on the Glasgow festival roster. From the 11th to the 13th of July, Glasgow Green will host TRANSMT and its 120,000 fans across the three days. From 50 Cent to Snow Patrol and Biffy Clyro to Wet Leg, the festival promises a wide range for music fans 🎶.

According to our data analysis, this festival is set to bring in £60,786,772. Since it’s held over three days and is a non-camping festival, TRANSMT offers a significant boost to the economy through non-local accommodation spend, which is estimated to generate close to £21,000,000.

Chappell Roan

With infectious hits, social virality, and theatrical performances, Chappell Roan has experienced the career trajectory of dreams since the launch of her debut album in 2023. Playing the Royal Highland Showgrounds on the 26th and 27th August, Chappell Roan will play to 120,000 fans of the Pink Pony Club 🦄.

These two gigs are estimated to generate £36,311,340 for Edinburgh’s economy. The majority of this spend comes from food and drinks at £9,024,000, closely followed by ticket sales at £8,736,000. 

AC/DC

Pioneers of heavy metal, AC/DC, are set to play Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on 21st August - their first gig on Scottish soil in a decade. The show will be the final date of the European leg of their POWER UP tour, bringing in an estimated £24,135,615.

Our data found that ticket sales for the hotly-anticipated gig account for just over £8,000,000. Non-local attendees make up 35% of the 70,000 fan total, with 24,500 fans travelling to see these gods of rock and roll 🤘. For many of these fans, bus tickets to Edinburgh from FlixBus are sure to be on the cards.

Robbie Williams

As one of the biggest pop stars in the world, it’s no surprise that global icon, Robbie Williams, is high on our list of gigonomics 🎤. His BRITPOP tour hit Murrayfield Stadium in May, with our data suggesting this performance could have boosted the local economy by £23,762,282.

With such a vast global presence and as one of the best-selling artists of the century, Robbie’s ticket prices were high, accounting for an estimated £7,676,667. 

Sam Fender

Taking on Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Showgrounds in August is Geordie musician, Sam Fender. Known for his raw passion and ability to tackle social issues through music, Fender’s Edinburgh Summer Session is set to be a hit for the local economy.

Our data estimated Sam Fender’s gig will raise £18,077,670, with food and drink spend topping £4,512,000. It is also estimated that 21,000 non-local attendees will travel for the gig - a third of the total venue capacity. 

Lana Del Rey

American singer, Lana Del Rey, brought her distinct melancholic and cinematic style to Glasgow’s Hampden Park in June, supporting the local economy with an estimated £15,235,950.

Ticket revenue and food and drink spending topped the list for this performance, bringing in an estimated £3.7 million each.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA

The Grand National Tour with Kendrick Lamar and SZA hits Hampden Park in July, giving fans a chance to see the 🐐 celebrate his sixth studio album alongside SZA’s first reissue album.

Generating an estimated £15,160,950 for Glasgow’s economy, the pair will perform for 50,000 music lovers. Out of this, approximately 17,500 will travel to the city from other UK destinations. Our bus tickets to Glasgow can help mitigate the spend on gig essentials.

Chris Brown

Playing hits from his 20-year career, Chris Brown brought his Breezy Bowl XX Tour to Hampden Park in Glasgow in July. This appearance is estimated to create £14,830,950 for the local economy, with ticket sales generating £3,375,000 and food and drink spend churning up £3,760,000 for local businesses.

Sting

With a diverse musical style and a career spanning four decades, Sting’s eagerly awaited gig at Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park in June was always going to be an economic success. As part of the Sting 3.0 World Tour, his Glasgow performance is estimated to have brought in £10,672,165.

The total estimation according to our data comprises £2,653,000 in ticket sales and £2,632,000 in food and drink spending. With 12,250 non-local fans attending, accommodation spend was also high at £1,327,165.

Simple Minds

As part of Glasgow Summer Sessions, Simple Minds performed at Bellahouston Park on 27th June to 35,000 fans. This concert had expected to produce £10,626,665 for the Glaswegian economy, with food and drink spending overtaking ticket sales at £2,632,000.

Stereophonics

Welsh rockers, Stereophonics, played to a crowd of 35,000 at Bellahouston Park in June as part of their Stadium Anthems - Summer 25 tour. Our data suggests this gig brought in £10.6 million in revenue, largely due to a combination of ticket sales and food and drink purchases, with the latter boosting the city’s local businesses.

Kylie Minogue

Australian icon Kylie Minogue brought all the glitz and glamour 💃🏻 to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro this summer as part of her Tension Tour. Her 6th of June concert is expected to have generated £4,356,052 for the local economy, with food and drink spend accounting for £1,075,360. 

Enjoy a gig-tripping adventure with cheap bus tickets from FlixBus

Whether you’re an all-out rocker or enjoy acoustic sounds against a backdrop of Scotland’s beauty, FlixBus can get you there. With cheap and convenient bus travel all over Scotland, alongside exceptional amenities on board, you’ll have plenty of money left for must-have merch and gig-day beverages 🍻.

Our services can take you on a bus to Edinburgh, perfect for gigs at Murrayfield or the Royal Highland Showgrounds. We can also pick you up from multiple locations around the UK on a bus to Glasgow - ideal for those attending concerts at Hampden Park, Bellahouston Park, or Glasgow Green. Buy your cheap bus tickets online , directly from your driver, or on the app .

Methodology 

Our analysis focused on calculating total spend for each artist/event by summing estimates for the below factors. Data correct as of June 2025.

Ticket spend
Approximation from the total capacity of a venue multiplied by the number of days the event was on for and the full price of a ticket. Where a gig has already happened sources were included for capacity and approximate final average price.  For TRANSMT the daily capacity was multiplied by a daily cost calculated as the average between a daily ticket and a weekend ticket divided by three.

Non-local accommodation spend 
The % of non-local attendees was assumed based on data from UK Music, then multiplied by the total attendance and figures on typical nightly tourist spend from Visit Scotland

Food/drink spend 
For gigs an average figure of £75.20 per head was used based on research on projected spend at the upcoming Oasis gigs. For TRANSMT, 2019 data on average daily spend at a festival was used, with an adjustment for inflation based on ONS CPI figures for soft drinks, food and alcoholic drinks.

Travel and Other spend
Figures estimated from per head figures from research on projected spend at the upcoming Oasis gigs