Cultural Events Surge in Revenue Post-Pandemic

Following the setbacks of the pandemic, the cultural and sports event industry continues to thrive. This is highlighted in the report "Events in Numbers 2025" from Sweden's cultural, sports, and tourism sectors.

The trend is clearly upward in performing arts, live music, and sports.

Between 2011 and December 2019, sports and cultural events experienced significant growth, with a steady increase in both revenue and employment.

After a substantial decline during the pandemic, the industry has now recovered and is on par with the growth trajectory expected if the 2011 trend had continued uninterrupted by the pandemic.

The number of events has increased by 68% between 2019, before the pandemic outbreak, and 2024. During the same period, the number of tickets sold rose by 16% – from 22.6 million to 26.1 million.

Today, performing arts, live music, and sports events generate over 78 billion SEK, create a value addition of 34 billion SEK, and employ over 140,000 people.