Every Manc and their grandma knows that Manchester is pretty much the best destination in the UK for music-lovers, what with our city having such a huge output of incredible musicians known the world over, and a mass of top notch venues to see them in. Now, a study has revealed that Manchester is indeed one of the most popular destinations in the world for ‘gig-tripping‘ – a term used to describe travelling to see live gigs, usually abroad.
Gig-tripping is set to become a popular travel trend for 2024 – referring to people travelling to new destinations to watch live music at gigs, bars or festivals. According to UK Music, live music attracted 14.4 million tourists in 2022.
Many use the gig-tripping trend as an excuse to not only see their favourite act, but also to immerse themselves in the musical culture and local sights of the city – we don’t blame them, and some of the biggest superstars in the world, including Taylor Swift and Ne-Yo have announced international tours for 2024. So, with this in mind, Planet Cruise has released a new study which reveals the best cities in the world to visit to watch live music.
The final list was based on these five factors:
- Number of live music bars
- Number of music arenas
- Number of festivals
- Number of concerts/gigs
- Average hotel price
It’s no surprise, then, that Manchester ranks 12th overall in the list of top locations to watch live music. Manchester is known for its legendary music scene with a total of 2.74 live music venues per 100,000 people, and with a room per night costing an average of £163, Manchester is the perfect city to travel to to watch your favourite musician or band. Plus, we happen to offer the best night out and club night in the UK… you clearly can’t go wrong.
The only UK cities to place above Manchester in the gig-tripping study were Glasgow, which took the top spot in an iconic turn of events, and Dublin, although obviously not UK, but within spitting distance, which we’re happy to concede to.
Cities renowned for their famous music venues, such as London, Sydney, and Berlin didn’t manage squeeze into the top 20, perhaps hinting that lower accommodation and venue prices, as well as musical variety, are far more important factors for music-lovers than city fame alone, which we like to hear.