More than 2.6 million people visited Wembley Stadium during 2022, in what has been a record-breaking year for the venue. Half of that cumulative attendance figure was for sell-out concerts.
The stadium has hosted 35 events over the last 12 months including major football finals, heavyweight boxing bouts, an NFL fixture and concerts. Attendance records were shattered in the process, according to a statement.
Wembley Stadium had 450,000 people in attendance to see Coldplay perform six shows in August. It was the longest ever residency for a rock act at Wembley (tied with the Rolling Stones).
Ed Sheeran (five nights) and Harry Styles (two) also performed multiple nights at Wembley over the summer.
In total, the stadium hosted 16 major, sell-out music concerts with just over 1.3 million people attending. Other live performances included the Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins tribute concert, Westlife and the Capital Summertime Ball.
It was the most entertainment performances Wembley has ever hosted in one year. The previous record was 14 concert nights, set in 2019.
It marks a return to a full schedule following the Covid-19 pandemic, when several live shows were cancelled, or crowds were limited, throughout 2020-2021.
Stadium director Liam Boylan said: “After almost two years of relative inactivity, it was great to put on major events and see large crowds return once again. Wembley has always been the place for the big occasion, and to not be able to do that, to create those history defining moments, was difficult.
“The post-Covid world was a new era for us all and there was a nervousness going into the start of the new year. We just didn’t know what to expect for big events. That is why it was so gratifying to bounce back in such style. This year, more than most, has just been exceptional.”
England’s national stadium will mark its 100th birthday next year. It has been home to some of the UK’s most historic and memorable moments, including Bobby Moore lifting the World Cup in 1966, Freddie Mercury at Live Aid in 1985 and England winning the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 final.
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