The 8 best concerts and music events worth travelling for in 2026

While the Super Bowl is the biggest event in the calendar when it comes to sport events in the US, much of the rest of the world tunes in to see whichever star has been handpicked to perform at the iconic halftime show. Last year we were blessed with a shady, dig-filled set from Kendrick Lamar, but for Super Bowl 60, Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and rapper Bad Bunny will be taking to the stage in Santa Clara Levi’s Stadium. The artist has already been touring his lauded album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, but we can be pretty certain Bad Bunny will have something special up his sleeve for this stage. Make sure to nab your tickets. 

🌎 Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, USA

📆 When: February 8, 2026

📍 Discover the biggest and best sporting events worth travelling for this year

After the sparkling societal and commercial success of her fifth studio album (and first release in seven years) West End Girl, Lily Allen will be performing the entirety of the record from start to finish in a handful of theatres across the UK, including three London shows in the spring. Since announcing this stint, Allen has added dates at the much bigger O2 in June, but it’s the performances in the London Palladium – a West End theatre, obviously – we’re undoubtedly most excited for. Expect a packed room all the way from the stalls to the rafters yelling ‘Who the fuck is Madeleine?’ If you can, grab a resale ticket pronto. 

🌎 Where: The London Palladium, UK

📆 When: Friday March 20, Saturday March 21, Sunday March 22, 2026

📍 Discover the best gigs and live music happening in London right now

If you missed out on Neil Young’s Love Earth World Tour in 2025, which saw him and his band, The Chrome Hearts, travelling all over Europe, North America, and to headline Glastonbury Festival, we’ve got some good news. The veteran singer-songwriter announced a series of ‘Eden Sessions’ across the UK and Europe for summer 2026, which kick off at Cornwall’s Eden Project on June 17 and journey over to France, back up to Scotland, Ireland, before crossing over to Belgium and finishing up in Italy. If Young’s no-fuss, expertly executed headliner set at Glasto was anything to go by, these shows will be a summery lull of an evening which is worth factoring into your plans – he’s a living legend, after all. 

🌎 Where: Dates include in Cornwall, Oxfordshire, Glasgow, Cork, Nimes, Zottegem, and Luca. 

📆 When: June 17-July 16, 2026

📍 Check out our guide on how to get tickets for Glastonbury 2027

Europe is blessed with some stonking music festivals, but one of the newest and most enticing is Way Out West in Gothenburg, a festival which, in its first edition in 2025, was headlined by none other than Charli xcx, Chappell Roan, Pet Shop Boys, Iggy Pop, Little Simz, Yung Lean, and Fontaines D.C. – yes, you read that right. On the lineup for this year, however, are The Cure, Gorillaz, Lorde, Nick Cave, The XX, and Geese, who will all be taking to the stages set up in Gothenburg’s Slottsskogen Park. Need a break? You can also head to a talk or a movie screening. And yes, there are still tickets available. 

🌎 Where: Gothenburg, Sweden

📆 When: August 13-15, 2026

📍 Discover the best things to do in Sweden

Six years since her last tour, Ariana Grande will be hitting the road to perform her 2024 studio album eternal sunshine, with a smattering of dates across the US, Canada and the UK in London. It’s not only her first gigs since 2019, but it also could be the star’s last – for a while, at least. Since her pivot to playing Glinda in Wicked, and now set to star opposite Jonathan Bailey in a production of Sunday in the Park with George at London’s Barbican, she seems to be taking a break from music. If you’re an Ari fan, surely it’s worth planning a trip around one of these dates. 

🌎 Where: Tour dates include Oakland, LA, New York, Montreal and London. 

📆 When: From June 6–September 1, 2026

📍 Discover the best cities in America to visit right now

Celebrating the centennial of an orchestra might not have been on your 2026 bingo card, but if you’re a fan of classical music and are Japan bound at some point in the year, we recommend you check out these commemorative concerts. The NHKSO was founded back in 1926, and is marking this impressive anniversary not only to celebrate the last 100 years, but also to ring in good wishes for the next 100. A ‘Dragon Quest IV’ concert and a Pokémon Classic Concert are both on the schedule, as is a performance of Tosca. Why not check it out?

🌎 Where: Tokyo, Japan

📆 When: Throughout 2026

📍 Discover the best places to visit in Japan

Okay, okay – it’s the fifth year in a row that Dylan, esteemed singer-songwriter (whose early career was recently portrayed in a biopic starring Timothée Chalamet), has announced dates to perform songs from his 2020 album of the same name, but as stated by Rolling Stone magazine, ‘Nothing is certain with Dylan until it actually happens’. Surely, then, it’d be best to cop some tickets to this summer’s slew of shows, in case he doesn’t fancy doing it again next year, particularly if you’re someone who’s discovered his music after watching the movie. His shows have steered away from big US cities and instead include places a little off the well-trodden track, starting in Omaha at the end of March. 

🌎 Where: The tour includes stops in Iowa City, Muncie, Detroit, Cleveland, Jackson and Abilene.

📆 When: March 21-May 1, 2026

📍 Discover the best music festivals in the USA

After the surprise release of her third solo album Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party in August 2025, frontwoman of pop punk band Paramore Hayley Williams announced her first-ever solo tour. Fans of the band need not panic, as they haven’t separated, but Williams has proved herself to be nothing short of a born performer, with all the rizz and authenticity necessary to steer a brilliant live show, with or without her bandmates. We can expect a run through of the new album, likely along with tracks from Petals for Armour and FLOWERS for VASES / descansos, so make sure to book your tickets. 

🌎 Where: Dates across the US, Canada, Europe and the UK. 

📆 When: From March 27-June 30, 2026

📍 Discover the best new things to do in the world in 2026