‘We’ve put Cardiff as an events city on the map’
‘We’ve put Cardiff as an events city on the map’
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Cardiff has closed out its biggest summer of live music yet with a Bank Holiday finale from Hollywood star Will Smith and fresh data shows the cultural surge is delivering a serious financial boost to the capital.
According to new figures from retail analytics firm Beauclair, sales across the city centre reached £44.1 million in July, up 15.6% compared with the same month in 2024. The data captures the impact of a packed live music calendar spanning the Principality Stadium, Cardiff Castle and the new Blackweir Fields site.
Entertainment sector sales rose by a remarkable 231.2% to £4.69 million, while food and drink spend climbed 20.1% to £18 million. Crucially, the data shows that only a third (32.8%) of spending came from Cardiff region residents, with a huge uplift in visitors travelling from further afield: spending from the rest of the UK outside Wales jumped 67% to £9.7 million, while spend from visitors elsewhere in Wales rose 41% to £5.2 million.
Carolyn Brownell, Executive Director of FOR Cardiff, the city centre Business Improvement District, said the findings match what businesses have been reporting all summer.
She said: “This summer has been nothing short of transformative for Cardiff and we expect the data for August to show a similar uplift to what we see here for July,” she said. “Major shows drive demand across the city – from increased bookings for taxis and hotels, to extra shifts for hospitality staff, to new business for local suppliers, security teams, and event crews.
“They also help introduce first-time visitors to Cardiff, many of whom return for other breaks, business events, or future gigs. This kind of city-wide economic ripple effect turns cultural moments into long-term gains for Cardiff’s foundation economy.”
Independent venues have felt the benefits too. Becca Thomas, co-founder of city-centre restaurant Bacareto, said: “This summer of music in Cardiff has been fantastic for us. We’ve really benefited from the influx of visitors to the city, as well as more visits from our regulars. Everyone has been excited to enjoy the gigs so the vibes have been great, and it’s been a chance to show off the city. The business has also seen a huge benefit, which is so important at a very tough moment for hospitality in general.”
The boom in “gig-tripping”, where fans turn concerts into city breaks, has played a major role in Cardiff’s success. Hotels have seen longer stays and earlier bookings, as visitors choose to make a weekend of it.
Karen Matthews, GM of the Radisson Blu Cardiff and a member of Cardiff and District Hoteliers Association, said: “We’ve seen an increase in guests coming to Cardiff not just for a night, but for long weekends built around major events. People are booking ahead, staying for two or three nights, and exploring the city in between gigs. From a hospitality perspective, it’s a huge opportunity, and one that Cardiff is now perfectly placed to capitalise on.”
The city’s live music landscape has been driven by promoters such as Depot Live, the team behind Cardiff Castle and Blackweir Fields concerts. Its founder, Nick Saunders, described the summer as “phenomenal.”
He said: “We’re not only putting events on in Cardiff. We’ve really put Cardiff as an events city on the map now.
“With Oasis and the comeback tour starting in Cardiff, seven events in the stadium, 19 shows we’ve had in the castle and four in our new site, Blackweir, it’s been a huge year for the city and hopefully long may it continue.”
For Saunders, the effect goes beyond ticket sales.
He said: “Cardiff has probably underperformed as a capital city over the years. London’s going to get the bulk of these names. Dublin, Edinburgh, all huge cities that would have probably previously seen these names and now hopefully Cardiff has put its capital status firmly on the map. Geographically, it works well from a touring perspective and a lot of these artists are seeing the opportunity to come to Cardiff.”
Cardiff’s momentum comes as the city secured confirmation that its long-awaited 16,500-capacity indoor arena will go ahead. Saunders said the new venue will add another layer to the city’s events offering.
He said: “It’s another string to the bow of Cardiff’s events armoury. It’s a very different product. I think with what we’ve done throughout the summer this year and previous years, with our outdoor concerts and obviously the stadium, it has been very successful and I think it puts the arena in a good position to attract good talent and to do so on a regular basis.”
Depot Live’s first year operating at Blackweir Fields wasn’t without difficulties, particularly around concerns from the local community.
Saunders continued: “It hasn’t been easy at times when it comes to the planning of these events. We know there’s been some unrest locally around Blackweir this year and that has come along with some challenges. We understand how local residents have raised their concerns around the event.
“But what I’d like to think is we delivered those events this year safely and they were, on the whole, a great success. Looking ahead for next year, nothing’s confirmed yet, but we are obviously engaging with our partners and looking to engage with the wider community again to make sure that we can plan and learn from anything that happened this year to understand and make sure that it’s a comfortable environment for everyone, not just for us as the event organisers, but the local residents as well.”
Depot Live sold over 260,000 tickets across Cardiff Castle and Blackweir this year, surpassing its 250,000 target. Nearly half (49%) of those ticket buyers travelled from outside Cardiff, according to early data.
While no plans are yet confirmed for Blackweir in 2026, Cardiff Castle concerts are already in motion. Saunders said: “It feels like it’s becoming earlier and earlier when it comes to discussing these names with agents now. I can’t say too much for now. You’ll be seeing a few announcements in the coming weeks for sure.”
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