Spain music festival spending surges driven by Gen Z and tourism

A report by the financial entity Revolut indicates a significant surge in spending at major music festivals in Spain, driven largely by Generation Z (ages 18-24) and international tourism.

According to the data, spending by young attendees rose by over 70% at both the Mad Cool and Bilbao BBK Live festivals. Similar trends were observed at the FIB, which saw a 68% increase in youth spending, and Primavera Sound, which recorded a 35% rise. In Madrid, the Mad Cool festival saw overall user spending increase by 32%.

International tourism from the United Kingdom, France, and Ireland is a primary driver of this growth. For example, at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, the 2026 edition generated an estimated economic impact exceeding 344 million euros from 287,000 attendees representing 145 countries. At Mad Cool, British, French, and Italian visitors led international consumption levels.