StubHub & viagogo’s 2025 Year in Live Experiences Report

Fandomnomics: The Fan-Led Economy Reshaping Live Events in 2025

2025 was the year fans’ ability to shape the markets was truly cemented. “Fandomnomics,” – the ongoing measurable impact of fans as a defining cultural force – was the theme of 2025. From center stage to center field, fans proved their impact on culture, the economy, and more – a trend that will only continue to grow in the years to come. 

“Our mission is to give everyone access to live experiences and 2025 was the year fans proved their influence isn’t just cultural — it’s economic. Their choices didn’t just fill venues; they redirected entire genres, elevated emerging markets, and set new expectations for how artists and teams engage with their audiences.”

– Hayley DiNaso, Partnerships at StubHub

StubHub’s Year in Live Experiences report captures the stories, data, and destinations that defined a record-breaking year for entertainment, revealing how millions of transactions show passion turning into price, geography fueling growth, and fan intent emerging as the organizing force of the live experience economy.

K-POP’S STADIUM MOMENT

K-pop transformed from a global niche to a fully built-out U.S. stadium genre, powered by a newly domestic fanbase, surging loyalty behaviors, and a rapid rise into mainstream touring territory.

Key Findings:

  • K-pop jumped from virtually no stadium presence to a mainstream touring force, rising from 0.06% to 10% of the stadium landscape in just three years.
    • Its touring footprint exploded too — jumping from 9 to 41 events and from 5 to 26 markets — marking one of the fastest nationwide scale-ups of any genre as it moved from small test shows to full U.S. stadium circuits.
  • Multiple-stop attendance doubled year-over-year, with fans traveling more consistently and following patterns historically seen in rock/pop fandom.
  • K-pop’s fanbase “domesticated” almost overnight, shifting from 38% U.S. buyers in 2023 to 86% 2025. 
    • The U.S. now anchors the genre, powered by a nine-venue stadium circuit and a footprint that expanded to 26 markets, a 520% increase from 2023.

Top K-Pop Artists of 2025

  1. Stray Kids
  2. ATEEZ
  3. NCT Dream

2026 Prediction: K-pop will expand beyond its current single-headliner model, with at least one additional group graduating to U.S. stadium scale, creating the genre’s first multi-headliner touring ecosystem and pushing its share of the stadium landscape even higher.

LATIN GOES GLOBAL

In 2025, Latin music went global as fans clustered across regions and megastars — led by Bad Bunny’s massive international surge — pushed the genre far beyond its roots in the Americas.

Key Findings:

  • 11.5% of all Latin artist tickets were sold outside the Americas, reflecting a clear shift toward multi-regional fanbases.
  • Bad Bunny was one of the fastest-growing global artists across any genre, seeing his international audience grow more than 50x in a single year.
  • Latin music consolidated into clear audience patterns:
    • . North American–Focused Acts
      • Regional Mexican artists —Junior H, Ana Gabriel, Banda MS — remained overwhelmingly domestic, playing with exceptionally concentrated demand.
    • Pan-American Stars
      • Artists like Shakira and Marco Antonio Solís bridged both major markets, reflecting strong cross-border cultural resonance across North America and Latin America.
    • True Global Artists
      • Jennifer Lopez & Enrique Iglesias: majority of tickets purchased outside the Americas
      • Maluma: majority of tickets purchased in Western Europe
  • Regional Mexican acts moved upward in StubHub’s top 100 artists, with artists like Junior H, Fuerza Regida, and Banda MS significantly expanding their footprint into the genre’s top tier.

2026 Prediction: Latin music is poised to become a top global genre in 2026, with Europe emerging as the next major growth market and more artists expected to mirror Bad Bunny’s international trajectory.

THE NOSTALGIA ECONOMY

Legacy acts ruled the stage in 2025. Nostalgia tours from Oasis, Green Day, and My Chemical Romance turned memory into momentum, inspiring fans to travel, reconnect, and re-engage with the live music economy. 

Key Findings:

  • Fans traveled far and wide to see their favorite nostalgia acts, with nearly 60% of attendees traveling from out-of-state or internationally, a boon to local economies.
  • Longtime dormant fans were brought back to life, with thousands of StubHub accounts reactivated to purchase tickets to these shows.
  • Nostalgia acts drew 48.0% first-time buyers, while newer artists brought in 55.6%, showing how discovery and rediscovery are now parallel forces in live entertainment.

2026 Prediction: In 2026, expect more “heritage cycle” programming, festivals, and promoters curating lineups around legacy artists and milestone albums.

THE COWBOY CARTER EFFECT

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album didn’t just bend genres; it redefined them. This year, country became one of the fastest-growing genres on StubHub, fueled by crossover moments that turned curiosity into cultural momentum. 

Key Findings:

  • Following Cowboy Carter’s debut, country ticket sales rose.  
  • Surprising markets like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle saw the biggest surges in country event demand.
  • Fans who had previously purchased pop or hip-hop tickets – especially for artists like Beyoncé, Post Malone, and Shaboozey – began showing up at country shows at record rates. Many were first-time country buyers.
  • Out-of-state attendance climbed, with significantly more fans traveling for shows, and international attendance nearly doubled.
  • Morgan Wallen reclaimed the top spot as country’s biggest draw, while Lainey Wilson joined the ranks of the year’s top-selling country acts, and Dolly Parton returned to the top 15.

2026 Prediction: 2026 will see more genre-fluid top-10 acts and major pop artists incorporating country elements to capture this crossover economy.

THE RISE OF MICROFESTS

2025 made small festivals the big story with festival culture flipping from scale to soul. Fans traded Mega-fests for “Microfests” – boutique, niche, community-driven festivals under 60K attendance, built on intimacy and connection, like Outlaw Music Festival, WE Fest, and Carolina Country Music Fest.

Key Findings:

  • Microfest ticket buyers come back time and time again with 70x more repeat buyers.
  • Nearly all attendees of Tier 1 festivals traveled to attend, but only 44% of Microfest attendees did, showing fans chose experiences within driving distance over fly-away weekends.

2026 Prediction: Expect festival charts to skew even more local, with regional Microfests emerging across secondary markets.

THE NEW SPORTS POWER PLAYERS

Global, unpredictable, and increasingly loyal to teams well beyond their home turf, 2025 sports fandom was defined less by the obvious powerhouses and more by the surprises hiding in the data. 

Key Findings:

  • MLB became 2025’s most accessible major league experience. Baseball placed 13 teams among the year’s 25 most in-demand teams, more than any other league.
  • The San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners emerged as surprising global ambassadors for baseball, drawing fans from 90+ countries. These West Coast teams demonstrated remarkable international appeal, showcasing MLB’s growing worldwide fanbase. 
  • The WNBA continued its rapid rise in 2025, powering a rising tide across the women’s sports category.
    • WNBA ticket demand climbed, and even games without the star power of names like Caitlin Clark saw sales soar. 
    • This trend helped fuel rising demand across women’s sports, including NWSL and PWHL.
  • Within NCAA football, it was not one of the typical power programs but the Nebraska Cornhuskers that led in international ticket-buying reach, drawing ticket buyers from more countries than any other NCAA football team – a surprising twist given conventional thinking about “big-name schools.”
  • Even in a team-dominated global landscape, Canelo vs. Crawford ranked among 2025’s top global sports events, underscoring the enduring international appeal of marquee boxing matchups. Staged in Las Vegas — now a global sports-tourism capital — the fight drew cross-border fans treating the city as a bucket-list destination.
  • Sports continued to transcend borders, with major teams now attracting fans from 100+ countries.
    • In markets like Mexico City, Toronto, and Sydney, international buyers accounted for up to 87% of total sales, reinforcing how live sports have become a driver of global travel.

2025’s Top Teams:

MLBNBANCAA Basketball
1. Los Angeles Dodgers1. New York Knicks1. Duke Blue Devils
2. Toronto Blue Jays2. Los Angeles Lakers2. North Carolina Tar Heels 
3. New York Yankees3. Boston Celtics3. Kentucky Wildcats 
4. Chicago Cubs4. Indiana Pacers4. Auburn Tigers 
5. Boston Red Sox5. Golden State Warriors5. Kansas Jayhawks 
6. Philadelphia Phillies6. Oklahoma City Thunder6. Illinois Fighting Illini 
7. New York Mets7. Minnesota Timberwolves7. Alabama Crimson Tide 
8. Seattle Mariners8. Denver Nuggets8. Indiana Hoosiers
9. San Francisco Giants9. Houston Rockets9. Michigan State Spartans
10. Atlanta Braves10. Miami Heat10. University of Connecticut Huskies

2026 Prediction: Teams and leagues will monetize fandom through “travel packages,” pop-up games, and hybrid event weekends abroad.

THE FAN PASSPORT

2025 redefined the way Americans traveled for live events, with fans crossing state and international borders at record levels to chase the year’s biggest cultural moments.

Key Findings:

  • D.C., Louisiana, and Rhode Island each saw more than 60% of buyers coming from out of state.
    • Washington, D.C. rode a wave of renewed Commanders momentum that drew regional fans in droves.
    • Louisiana surged on the strength of the College Football Playoff Semifinal and Super Bowl in New Orleans — two of the most travel-heavy games of the year.
    • Rhode Island benefited from a run of nationally followed Big East basketball matchups and a set of confirmed 2025 arena tours that pulled fans from across New England.
  • International event travel climbed 13% year-over-year, with Mexico City and Abu Dhabi emerging as new global hotspots.
    • Mexico City reclaimed its place as a premier U.S. fan-travel destination as the NFL returned to Estadio Azteca and major Latin American tour stops captured American demand.
    • Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi held two of the most covered global sports moments of 2025 — the championship-deciding Formula 1 finale and a blockbuster UFC card — transforming it into a fly-in destination for U.S. sports fans.
  • Toronto, Canada, and Sydney, Australia, made it into the top three international cities driving U.S. fans.
    • Toronto benefited from a strong year for Canadian sports and a dense arena and stadium touring calendar, with many 2025 tours choosing Toronto as their only or primary Canadian stop.
    • Sydney emerged as a top destination for U.S. fans thanks to major cricket and rugby events and a broader surge in long-haul U.S. travel to Australia in 2025.

2026 Prediction: Expect fan travel to accelerate even further as global sports anchors push more Americans to plan trips around the marquee games and concerts they refuse to miss. With dozens of World Cup matches landing in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, travel demand is poised to surge across all three countries, creating the biggest year yet for sports-driven tourism.

THE CLASS OF 2025

      Key Findings:

      • Solo stars defined the year, and a new class of headliners emerged.
        • Solo acts accounted for 89% of Breakthrough Artists on the list — proof that the next era of live music is led by individual voices commanding arena-sized audiences.
      • Rising artists on StubHub nearly doubled their sales collectively.
        • Tate McRae, Benson Boone, and Teddy Swims led the charge, all returning from last year’s “artists on the rise” list, but now graduating into full-fledged arena status.
        • Ethel Cain and Reneé Rapp represent the next wave of emerging pop storytellers translating streaming fame into sold-out tours.

      Top Global Experiences of 2025:

      1. Super Bowl LIX: Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Chiefs, (2/9 in New Orleans, Louisiana)
      2. College Football Playoff National Championship: Notre Dame vs Ohio State (1/6 in Atlanta, Georgia)
      3. TKO Boxing: Canelo vs Crawford (10/11, Las Vegas, Nevada)
      4. NFC Championship: Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles (1/19 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
      5. World Series: Los Angeles Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays – Home Game 4, Series Game 7 (11/2 in Toronto, Canada)
      6. Coldplay Music of the Spheres Tour (7/26 in Miami Gardens, Miami)
      7. Tomorrowland 2025 – Weekend 2 (7/25-7/27 in Boom, Belgium)
      8. College Football Playoff Semifinals: Cotton Bowl – Texas vs Ohio State (1/10 in Arlington, Texas) 
      9. Oasis Live Tour (8/28 @ Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois)
      10. Zach Bryan (9/27 in Ann Arbor, Michigan)

      Key Findings:

      • From Super Bowl LIX and the College Football Playoff Championship to Coldplay’s Miami finale, the most in-demand experiences weren’t just events — they were “had to be there” cultural moments.

      2026 Prediction: New tiers like “Marquee Access” or “One-Night Editions” will proliferate, with built-in merch or hospitality bundles.

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