France Sees Record Ticket Sales in 2024, But Festivals Struggle
France’s live entertainment industry experienced a year of contrasts in 2024, with record-breaking overall ticket revenues but mounting financial pressure on festivals, according to a new report from the National Music Centre (CNM).
CNM’s annual survey of 107 festivals revealed that two-thirds of them ended the 2024 season in deficit, prompting concerns about the sustainability of the current festival model.
Total ticket revenue for festivals reached €313 million, a marginal 0.4% decline from 2023. Ticket sales represented 44% of festival income, while food and beverage sales made up just 15%.
Fewer than a third of festivals reached 90% capacity or more—slightly below last year’s level—highlighting growing challenges for the organisers.
Despite this, France’s broader live sector saw encouraging growth. Overall ticket sales for all live events hit a record €1.6 billion in 2024, up 13% year-on-year, with total attendance rising 2% to 37.9 million. The boost was partly driven by the Olympic and Paralympic Games’ opening and closing ceremonies.
Comedy topped the list of popular genres, accounting for 29% of attendance, followed by jazz-blues (12%), rock-metal (10%), and pop (9%).
French-speaking artists dominated the year’s top 10 tours by total attendance—with Taylor Swift as the only international exception. However, international stars achieved the highest average attendance per show, with AC/DC leading the charts, just ahead of French icon Mylène Farmer (pictured).