Laure Bal
Attending music concerts is a way of expressing love for music and appreciation for artists. Over the years, music concerts have attracted many fans. So, what are the biggest concerts ever as of 2024?
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Top 15 biggest concerts ever as of 2024
- 1. Rod Stewart’s New Year’s Eve Concert (1994) – 4.2 million
- 2. Jean Michael Jarre’s 850th anniversary of the Moscow Concert (1997) – 3.5 million
- 3. Jorge Ben Jor’s New Year’s Eve Concert (1993) – 3 million
- 4. Jean Michael Jarre’s Bastille Day Concert (1990) – 2.5 million
- 5. Love Parade Festival (2008) – 1.6 million
- 6. Monsters of Rock Concert (1991) – 1.6 million
- 7. The Rolling Stones’ Bigger Bang Concert (2006) – 1.5 million
- 8. Jean Michael Jarre’s Rende-vous Houston Concert (1986) – 1.3 million
- 9. Diana Ross Worldwide From New York: For One and For All (1983) – 1.2 million
- 10. Paz Sin Fronteras Concert II (2009) – 1.1 million
- 11. Jean Michael Jarre’s Bastille Day Concert (1979) – 1 million
- 12. Antonello Venditti’s Scudetto Victory Concert for A.S. Roma (2001) – 1 million
- 13. The Pol’And’Rock Festival (2019) – 1 million
- 14. Statue of Liberty Weekend Concert (1986) – 800,000
- 15. Isle of Wight Festival (1970) – 700,000
- Summary list of the biggest concerts ever
- What was the biggest concert ever?
- Which is the largest paying audience for a concert?
- Which is the largest attendance at a music festival?
- What is the most attended tour of all time?
- What is the most successful concert in the world?
- Who has sold the most concert tickets ever?
- What is the world record for most concerts in a year?
- Which are the biggest benefit concerts ever?
Rod Stewart held the biggest concert in the world. Rolling Stones are among the many music artists and bands that have secured sizeable crowds at their concerts. Some of their events have made it to The Guinness Book of Records’ list of the largest crowds at a concert.
Top 15 biggest concerts ever as of 2024
Besides bringing people together, music concerts are also a good way to enjoy spectacular performances. In music history, several record-breaking concert attendances have been recorded. Below is a list of the largest crowds at a music concert in history.
1. Rod Stewart’s New Year’s Eve Concert (1994) – 4.2 million
Source: Twitter
- Artist: Rod Stewart
- Event: New Year’s Eve Concert
- Venue: Copacabana Beach
- Location: Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
- Date: December 31, 1994
- Attendees: 4.2 million
Rod Stewart’s 1994 New Year’s Eve Concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro is the biggest concert in history. It had 4.2 million people and was free. The legendary Rod Stewart brought the roof down through his performance. The concert holds the top spot in the Guinness Book of Records. It was the largest open-air concert in history.
2. Jean Michael Jarre’s 850th anniversary of the Moscow Concert (1997) – 3.5 million
Source: Facebook
- Artist: Jean Michel Jarre
- Event: 850th anniversary of the Moscow Concert
- Venue: State University of Moscow
- Location: Moscow, Russia
- Date: September 6, 1997
- Attendees: 3.5 million
Moscow city is not only ancient, but it is also very large. Every year they hold festivities to celebrate its anniversary. The 850th Moscow Concert anniversary in 1997 was recorded as one of the biggest concerts ever in history.
Jean Michael Jarre performed at the Moscow State University to about 3.5 million people. This was indeed a next-level birthday celebration for Moscow city.
3. Jorge Ben Jor’s New Year’s Eve Concert (1993) – 3 million
Source: Facebook
- Artist: Jorge Ben Jor
- Event: New Year’s Eve Concert
- Venue: Copacabana Beach
- Location: Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
- Date: December 31, 1993
- Attendees: 3 million
Copacabana Beach is excitingly famous worldwide for hosting the most attended concerts in history. The 4-kilometre-long beach can hold legendary concerts.
On December 31, 1993, this was proven when Jorge Ben Jor hosted a New Year’s Eve Concert. The beach accommodated about 3 million people. This was the first concert to cross the 3 million mark threshold.
4. Jean Michael Jarre’s Bastille Day Concert (1990) – 2.5 million
Source: Facebook
- Artist: Jean Michael Jarr
- Event: Bastille Day Concert
- Venue: La Défense
- Location: Paris, France
- Date: July 14, 1990
- Attendees: 2.5 million
Jean Michael Jarre turned the La Defense district at the heart of Paris into an entertainment centre on July 14, 1990. This particular national holiday celebration remains one of the most iconic days.
The 1990 Bastille Day Concert by Jean Michael Jarre ranks fourth on the list of largest crowds in history. The concert attracted more than 2 million people.
5. Love Parade Festival (2008) – 1.6 million
Source: Facebook
- Artist: Various DJs and musicians
- Event: Love Parade Festival
- Venue: Westfalenhallen
- Location: Dortmund, Germany
- Date: July 19, 2008
- Attendees: 1.6 million
Although the event always attracts a large crowd, the 2008 Love Parade Festival hit a record-breaking of 1.6 million attendees.
They were entertained by Anja Schneider, Armin van Buuren, Audion, Carl Craig, DJ Hell, Dubfire, Felix Kröcher, Italoboyz, M.A.N.D.Y., The Märtini Brös & the Strings of Love orchestra, Paul Van Dyk, Richie Hawtin, and Underworld.
Dortmund City turned into an outdoor party area. Every year the crowds come out to participate in the parade.
6. Monsters of Rock Concert (1991) – 1.6 million
Source: Facebook
- Artists: Metallica, AC/DC, Pantera, E.S.T., The Black Crowes
- Event: Monsters of Rock Concert
- Venue: Tushino Airfield
- Location: Moscow, Soviet Union
- Date: September 28, 1991
- Attendees: 1.6 million
The 1.6 million heavy metal music fans attended the annual Monsters of Rock Concert in 1991, even though Moscow was in the middle of political turmoil and the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapsing.
The concert had the biggest crowd ever, and it featured several bands like AC/DC, Metallica and Pantera. It was AC/DC’s largest concert crowd ever.
7. The Rolling Stones’ Bigger Bang Concert (2006) – 1.5 million
Source: Facebook
- Artist: The Rolling Stones
- Event: Bigger Bang Concert
- Venue: Copacabana Beach
- Location: Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
- Date: February 18, 2006
- Attendees: 1.5 million
The Copacabana Beach appears again on the list of the top 10 biggest concerts ever. The Rolling Stones had their Bigger Banger Concert on February 18, 2006, and put on a spectacular performance for 1.5 million people.
8. Jean Michael Jarre’s Rende-vous Houston Concert (1986) – 1.3 million
Source: Facebook
- Artist: Jean Michel Jarre
- Event: Rende-vous Houston Concert
- Venue: Downtown Houston
- Location: Houston, Texas, United States
- Date: April 5, 1986
- Attendees: 1.3 million
Jean Michael Jarre held the Guinness world record for some time. His Rende-vous Houston Concert pulled 1.3 million people in downtown Houston on April 5, 1986.
Jean Michael Jarre performed in skyscrapers giving one spectacular performance. In line with the release of the Rendezvous album, the concert was also in celebration of the Space Challenger shuttle.
9. Diana Ross Worldwide From New York: For One and For All (1983) – 1.2 million
Source: Getty Images
- Artist: Diana Ross
- Event: Diana Ross Worldwide from New York
- Venue: Great Lawn, Central Park
- Location: New York City
- Date: July 21, 1983
- Attendees: 1.2 million
The Diana Ross: For One and For All Concert was a massive event, with an estimated attendance of 1.2 million people. It was intended to celebrate the culmination of Diana Ross’s successful world tour.
The live event was organized with a charitable purpose, allocating 7.5 per cent of its proceeds to the restoration of a Central Park Playground near West 81st Street. Diana Ross expressed that this initiative fulfilled a long-standing dream of hers to actively contribute to such a project.
10. Paz Sin Fronteras Concert II (2009) – 1.1 million
- Artists: Juanes (headliner) and various artists
- Event: Paz sin Fronteras II
- Venue: Plaza de la Revolución
- Location: Havana, Cuba
- Date: September 20, 2009
- Attendees: 1.1 million
Paz Sin Fronteras Concert II means The peace without borders concerts. Colombia’s musician, Juanes, organized these free outdoor concerts to campaign for peace among the South American countries.
The concerts also featured several internationally recognized artists. The Paz Sin Fronteras Concert II was hosted at the La Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, and 1.1 million people were in attendance.
11. Jean Michael Jarre’s Bastille Day Concert (1979) – 1 million
- Artist: Jean Michel Jarre
- Event: Bastille Day Concert
- Venue: Place de la Concorde
- Location: Paris, France
- Date: July 14, 1979
- Attendees: 1 million
Jean Michael Jarre’s first performance was during the Bastille Day celebrations on July 14, 1979. As he had immense popularity, the concert attracted about one million people.
The attendance put a new record in the Guinness Book of Records at that time. More than 40 years later, Jean Michael Jarre’s first-ever outdoor performance at Place De La Concorde is still cheered upon.
12. Antonello Venditti’s Scudetto Victory Concert for A.S. Roma (2001) – 1 million
Source: Twitter
- Artist: Antonello Venditti
- Event: A.S. Roma’s scudetto victory concert
- Venue: Circus Maximus
- Location: Rome, Italy
- Date: June 24, 2001
- Attendees: 1 million
Many in Rome were ecstatic when the Associazione Sportiva Roma soccer team (A.S. Roma) won its third scudetto (national football championships) in 2001.
A.S. Roma invited Italian singer/songwriter Antonello Venditti (one of the biggest singers in Italy at that time) to perform at the Circus Maximus. He performed for more than a million people, making it to the list of the largest crowd at a concert.
13. The Pol’And’Rock Festival (2019) – 1 million
Source: Twitter
- Artist: The Black Eyed Peas and various musicians
- Event: Pol’And’Rock Festival or Woodstock Festival Poland
- Venue: Przystanek Woodstock
- Location: Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Poland
- Date: August 3, 2019
- Attendees: 1 million
The Pol’And’Rock festival (otherwise called the Woodstock Festival Poland) started in 1995. The 2019 festival was the largest in the history of this event. It had around a million attendees, and the headliners included The Black Eyed Peas, Ziggy Marley, and the Prophets of Rage.
14. Statue of Liberty Weekend Concert (1986) – 800,000
Source: Getty Images
- Artist: Johnny Cash, John Denver, Yo Yo Ma, Placido Domingo and more
- Event: Statue of Liberty Weekend Concert
- Venue: Lincoln Center, Central Park Great Lawn, Governor’s Island
- Location: New York City
- Date: July 3,4, 5,6, 1986
- Attendees: 800k
The Statue of Liberty Weekend Concert marked a four-day festivity commemorating the 1984 restoration and the centennial of the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) in New York City.
Commencing on July 3, 1986, and concluding on July 6, the weekend featured musical presentations that surpassed conventional concert expectations. The diverse events showcased a spectrum of genres, including Americana, classical, swing, and pop spanning generations.
15. Isle of Wight Festival (1970) – 700,000
Source: Getty Images
- Artists: Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Joni Mitchel, Miles Davis, Joan Baez, Caetano Veloso, Black Widow and more
- Event: Isle of Wight Festival
- Venue: Afton Down Terrain
- Location: Afton Down
- Date: From August 26 to August 31, 1970
- Attendees: 700k
The Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 was a historic music event that took place on the Isle of Wight in England. Held from August 26 to 31, the festival attracted a massive audience and featured an iconic lineup of musical acts. Notable performers included Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, and many others.
The festival’s attendance was estimated to be over 700,000 people, making it one of the largest music gatherings of its time. It is particularly remembered for Jimi Hendrix’s electrifying performance.
Summary list of the biggest concerts ever
| Rank | Event | Date | Venue | Estimated Attendees |
| 1 | Rod Stewart’s New Year’s Eve concert | December 31, 1994 | Copacabana Beach | 4.2 million |
| 2 | Jean Michael Jarre’s 850th anniversary of the Moscow Concert | September 6, 1997 | State University of Moscow | 3.5 million |
| 3 | Jorge Ben Jor’s New Year’s Eve concert | December 31, 1993 | Copacabana Beach | 3 million |
| 4 | Jean Michael Jarre’s Bastille Day Concert | July 14, 1990 | La Défense | 2.5 million |
| 5 | Love Parade Festival | July 19, 2008 | Westfalenhallen | 1.6 million |
| 6 | Monsters of Rock Concert | September 28, 1991 | Tushino Airfield | 1.6 million |
| 7 | The Rolling Stones’ Bigger Bang Concert | February 18, 2006 | Copacabana Beach | 1.5 million |
| 8 | Jean Michael Jarre’s Rende-vous Houston concert | April 5, 1986 | Downtown Houston | 1.3 million |
| 9 | Diana Ross Worldwide From New York: For One and For All | July 21, 1983 | Great Lawn, Central Park | 1.2 million |
| 10 | Paz Sin Fronteras Concert II | September 20, 2009 | Plaza de la Revolución | 1.1 million |
| 11 | Jean Michael Jarre’s Bastille Day Concert | July 14, 1979 | Place de la Concorde | 1 million |
| 12 | Antonello Venditti’s Scudetto Victory Concert for A.S. Roma | June 24, 2001 | Circus Maximus | 1 million |
| 13 | The Pol’And’Rock Festival | August 3, 2019 | Przystanek Woodstock | 1 million |
| 14 | Statue of Liberty Weekend Concert | From July 3 to July 6, 1986 | Lincoln Center, Central Park Great Lawn, Governor’s Island | 800k |
| 15 | Isle of Wight Festival | From August 26 to August 31, 1970 | Afton Down Terrain | 700k |
What was the biggest concert ever?
Rod Stewart’s New Year’s Eve performance at Copacabana Beach in 1994 holds the current world record for the largest concert ever. It was a free event, and around 4.2 million people attended.
Which is the largest paying audience for a concert?
On May 28, 2016, Christina Aguilera’s concert attracted an estimated 250,000 people. It is so far the largest audience recorded for paying for a concern.
Which is the largest attendance at a music festival?
The Donauinselfest 2016 festival holds the record for the largest attendance at a music festival. The free and open-air festival attracted about 3.1 million fans. As a result, the annual festival in Vienna has gained popularity. It continuously attracts larger crowds and international artists.
What is the most attended tour of all time?
Presently, Ed Sheeran’s ÷ Tour stands as the most-watched tour in history, having sold a remarkable 8.9 million tickets during 260 performances spanning three consecutive years (2017–2019). Additionally, it holds the distinction of being the most-attended tour in a single year, drawing in a crowd of 4.86 million individuals in 2018.
What is the most successful concert in the world?
The Eras Tour † by Taylor Swift is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. Its adjusted gross income was $1,039,263,762.
Who has sold the most concert tickets ever?
The Rolling Stones hold the title as the top-grossing live music act of all time, amassing a staggering sum of over $2.5 billion in revenue.
What is the world record for most concerts in a year?
David Lande set the record for the highest number of concerts attended in a single year, with an impressive total of 116. He took this challenge with the goal of witnessing live performances by all the artists.
Which are the biggest benefit concerts ever?
Some of the biggest benefit concerts ever include America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001), Tsunami Relief Cardiff (2005), Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief (2017) and Concert for Ukraine (2022).
Although there are many great performances with big crowds and paying attendances, the above list outlines the biggest concerts ever in history. Most of them were outdoor functions, and music fans did not disappoint.
Tuko.co.ke recently published a list of the biggest fandoms in the world you should check out. The fandom culture is, by far, the most unique and fans genuinely love it.
Interestingly, most fandoms act as therapy platforms. They give their members a sense of belonging as they spread love amongst themselves.
