Spending on major festivals soars, driven by generation Z and European tourism, according to data from Revolut

The spending on great music festivals in Spain has registered notable growth in its latest editions, driven mainly by generation Z – assistants of between 18 and 24 years— and due to the increase in tourism from United Kingdom, France and Ireland.

This is clear from a report carried out by the Revolut financial institutionwhich specifies that these young people raised their disbursements 70% on Mad Cool y Bilbao BBK Live, 68% in the FIB and 35% in Primavera Sound.

The company analyzes the impact of this industry that borders on 1,000 events in Spain and in which large events have been consolidated to attract a foreign audience, according to the Yearbook of Cultural Statistics of the Ministry of Culture.

For festivals, the Primavera Sound of Barcelona In its 2026 edition, it has generated an estimated economic impact in the city greater than the 344 million euros through its 287,000 attendees from 145 countries, according to data from Camaleonic Analytics.

Furthermore, the expense of Revolut users between 18 and 24 years old grew a 35% compared to the previous year. Not counting the national audience, attendees from the United Kingdom, France and Ireland led the volume of consumption.

Precisely, this trend is repeated in the Mad Cool festival in Madridwhere the overall user spending rose 32% and that of the 18 to 24 age group grew over 70%placing the British, French and Italians at the forefront of international consumption.

For his part, the FIB recorded an increase in total spending close to 40%, driven by the 68% increase in generation Z and by the expenditure of English and Irish attendees, which doubled. Likewise, in the Bilbao BBK Live Generation Z consumption increased about 70%.

POSTER AND PRICE, DETERMINING FACTORS FOR THE SPANISH PUBLIC

Likewise, a survey prepared by the research firm Dynata para Revolut reveals that the main priorities of Spaniards when choosing which festival to attend are the confirmed artists on the poster (58%) and the entrance price (56%).

They are followed, both with 41%, by the location of the event and the possibility of attending it with friends, while only 12% admit to having spent more than expected on several occasions and two out of three claim to have never or almost never regretted purchasing the ticket.