2026 is shaping up to be a monumental year for live music, with Bad Bunny, The Weeknd and Zach Bryan leading the pack as the most highly anticipated tours according to new search data from ticket platform Fanatix. The findings come as the music industry contributed a record £8 billion to the UK economy in 2025, setting the stage for another blockbuster year.
Bad Bunny dominates the rankings with an impressive 281,000 average monthly searches for his concerts. The Puerto Rican superstar, who claimed the top spot as Spotify’s most-streamed artist globally in 2025, is scheduled to perform across the globe as part of his “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” World Tour, with major European dates, South American stops, and additional shows in Australia and Asia expected to be announced.
The Weeknd follows in second place with 216,000 average monthly searches, coming off a massive 2025 where he ranked third in Spotify’s top ten artists globally. The ‘Blinding Lights’ singer will bring his “After Hours Til Dawn” stadium tour to London, Dublin, Paris and other European cities, with support from Playboi Carti. Multiple nights are scheduled at London’s Wembley Stadium in August, all expected to sell out.
Country music’s surge in popularity is reflected in third place, with Zach Bryan attracting 168,000 average monthly searches. His “With Heaven On Tour” includes summer dates in Liverpool, Edinburgh, London and Belfast, plus North American and European shows with support from Dijon and Kings of Leon. The genre soared across 2025, attracting a more diverse, younger global fan base.
Lady Gaga ranks fourth with 147,000 monthly searches following her massive 2025 revival. Her collaboration with Bruno Mars on ‘Die With A Smile’ became the most streamed song globally in 2025 according to Spotify data, while her album Mayhem helped her rack up roughly 8.6 billion streams. Her “The MAYHEM Ball” tour will hit North America and Japan throughout 2026.
British breakout star Olivia Dean takes fifth place with 118,000 searches, overtaking Ariana Grande. The singer had a record-breaking 2025, becoming the first British solo female artist to achieve a simultaneous #1 album and single since Adele in 2021 with “The Art of Loving” and “Man I Need”. Her “The Art of Loving Live” tour features extensive 2026 dates across Europe, North America and Oceania, with multiple sold-out shows already confirmed in Glasgow, Manchester and London.
The top ten is rounded out by Ariana Grande (99,200 searches), My Chemical Romance (94,700), Pitbull (93,000), Lewis Capaldi (74,900), and Dua Lipa (68,000), showcasing a diverse mix of nostalgic comebacks and contemporary pop dominance.
A spokesperson from Fanatix offered expert insight into the 2026 concert landscape: “There is a wave of major artists taking to stages across the globe in 2026, setting the year up to be one of the biggest for the industry. Fans are already scrambling to search for tickets and we are likely to see record-breaking attendance and ticket sales across venues as excitement around live music continues to build.”
The spokesperson advised fans to prepare in advance when hunting for high-demand tickets: “Tickets are increasingly released in phases, so missing the first drop doesn’t necessarily mean missing out all together. Fans who set up their ticket accounts in advance, sign up for the pre-sales, and have flexibility for dates will have the highest chance of securing tickets. The key is to use official platforms, act quickly, and stay informed to beat the rush and lock in tickets to the biggest artists hitting stages this year.”
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