How many people attend concerts and performances?

A total of 17.0 million peoplenoot1 attended concerts and performances at professional theatres and venues in the Netherlands in 2022.noot2 Over half of all these visits were to concerts, which attracted a total of 9.6 million people. These were mainly pop concerts.

In the first three months of 2022, restrictions to limit the spread of coronavirus were still in force and these significantly impacted professional theatres and venues. When venues were allowed to reopen at the end of January, it took some time for the number of visitors to return to previous levels. For example, there were shorter opening hours and fixed seating arrangements, people had to wear face masks and take a health check at the entrance, and a maximum number of visitors was allowed into each venue. By mid-March 2022, these restrictions were made advisory only.

Fewer visitors than before the coronavirus pandemic

The number of visits to concerts and performances was 12 percent lower in 2022 than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. That year, a total of 19.4 million people attended performances. In 2020, the number fell to 5.3 million and by 2021 it had dropped even further to 4.1 million. The largest decline during the pandemic was seen at pop concerts, which attracted 7.5 million people in 2019 and only 1.8 million in 2020.

Show datatableVisits to professional venues* (x million)Hide datatableVisits to professional venues* (x million)

Visits to professional venues* (x million)

Jaar	Pop music	Musical and other musical theatre	Cabaret	Theatre performances	Classical music	Dance and performance art	Other activities (including literary)
2016	6.97	2.83	2.22	1.98	1.78	0.76	1.55
2017	7.27	3.03	2.28	1.85	1.87	0.70	1.48
2018	7.60	3.31	2.45	1.74	1.86	0.67	1.22
2019	7.50	3.64	2.74	1.71	1.85	0.70	1.24
2020	1.76	0.73	0.97	0.72	0.62	0.26	0.30
2021	1.19	0.72	0.63	0.52	0.48	0.18	0.40
2022	7.91	2.38	2.09	1.20	1.66	0.70	1.03
* provisional figures

Fewer performances and concerts

There were also fewer performances and concerts in 2022 than before the pandemic. In 2019, there were 54 thousand performances and concerts, while in 2022 there were over 50 thousand. However, that was still twice as many as during the pandemic.

Pop concerts in Amsterdam attract the most visitors

A relatively high number of performances are held in venues and theatres in Amsterdam. In 2022, the figure was 8.7 thousand, approximately 17 percent of the total. The city also attracts a large share of the total number of visitors to performances: nearly 32 percent. And concerts held in Amsterdam are also more likely to be full: 16 percent of pop concerts are held in Amsterdam, but these attract 41 percent of all visitors.