THE arrival of Harry Styles, a visit from ‘The Boss’ and other renowned artists will provide Edinburgh with a financial boost with huge shows in the capital this summer.
The former One Direction star plays at Murrayfield tonight and will stage a second sold-out show on Saturday.
He follows American superstar Beyoncé in playing at the home of Scottish rugby, with legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen to play there next week.
That will bring a boost for local restaurants, hotels and bars as fans flock to Edinburgh for the shows.
A 2013 study focused on Emirates Stadium in London, analysing two concerts by Muse and one by Green Day to determine the impact of such events.
Local businesses in Islington who were able to quantify the positive impact reported taking an extra £2,300 on average on weekends where the concerts took place.
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In total the report found that for a stadium gig at the Emirates, gross spend in Islington reached £4.3m, with £6.9m worth of spending for London as a whole and £7.4m UK-wide.
Similar research around Wembley Stadium found events at the venue in 2017-18 – FA events, Tottenham Hotspur matches, rugby league games, concerts and NFL matches – brought £150m to the local Brent area, £424m to London and £615m to England.
Gross expenditure for seven concerts – two by Taylor Swift, four by Ed Sheeran and the Capital FM Summertime Ball – was £205m, or £29m per concert.
A spokesperson for EventScotland said: “The arrival of a fantastic line-up of popular artists further strengthens Scotland’s position as a world-leading events destination. As well as attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the events themselves, the wider amplification through broadcast and digital channels further reinforces Scotland as a must-see visitor destination.
“Undoubtably events of this size and scale will provide a welcome boost to a range of businesses in the surrounding area. Whether a local resident or visitor from further afield, the impact spreads way beyond the event itself. Whether people are taking a day trip, eating out, booking an overnight stay or visiting a nearby attraction, all this activity supports local tourism businesses, jobs and the regional economy.”
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Research by UK Music found live music contributed £5.8bn to the UK economy in 2019, and while that dropped during the pandemic it was back up to £4bn in their 2022 report.
DF Concerts, the promoter for Harry Styles’ Murrayfield show said it had sold a million tickets between June and August 2022, with its events reaching 50 per cent of the Scottish population.
Glasgow will also host a number of big concerts this summer, with the national football stadium, Hampden Park, staging a Red Hot Chili Peppers show on July 23.
Glasgow Green is the venue for TRNSMT Festival between July 7 and July 9, while Bellahouston Park will see gigs by Muse and Guns N Roses.
This weekend will also see Dundee host Radio 1’s Big Weekend, featuring Lewis Capaldi, Niall Horan and the 1975.
