French people less inclined to go to festivals and concerts, mainly for budgetary reasons, according to a barometer

The French are less inclined to go to festivals and concerts this year, mainly for budgetary reasons, according to a barometer revealed by France Musique and France Culture on Tuesday June 16. “In a context marked by inflation, attendance intentions have continued to decline since 2024, particularly among the youngest”notes this study by the Verian firm for Crédit Mutuel.

According to this survey, 45% of French people surveyed plan to go to concerts in 2026 and 33% to festivals, down, in both cases, by six points compared to 2024. And 45% of people surveyed plan not to go to any musical experience (neither concert nor festival, nor concert cafés, etc.) this year.

Attendance at these events is “hindered for a certain number of French people for one main reason which is the question of the budget”, explains Guillaume Caline, deputy director of the Verian Institute. So, “We have a third of people who are not going to go to a concert or a festival who say that it is primarily for financial reasons”up two points compared to last year.

The French are also increasingly irritated by the “dynamic pricing”, that is to say, setting the price of places according to demand. “This year there is the example of tickets for Céline Dion concerts”, recalls Guillaume Caline. “We have quite critical opinions regarding these practices, with the feeling that it increases the price of tickets for certain audiences, that it can also encourage a certain number of scams and that it mainly benefits the organizers but not really the artists”he explains. “So the French, who are beginning to understand exactly how this dynamic pricing works, are taking a fairly critical look.” 75% of French people questioned in this survey believe that this dynamic pricing makes concert prices too high for certain audiences, up 18 points compared to last year.

Méthodologie of Barometer: music in the lives of the French. 2026 edition. Survey carried out among a sample of 2,000 French people, aged 16 and over, by Verian for Crédit Mutuel.