Major events set to rock Sydney businesses to tune of 424 million

14 November 2025
Consumer Spending

• ACDC and Metallica gigs expected to drive a 26% surge in spending in Sydney  

• Retail and hospitality businesses expected to be among the big winners  

• Concertgoers warned about ticket scams 

NAB Executive Small Business Krissie Jones, said the bumper 10 days would be among the city’s busiest for the year as tens of thousands of fans flock to restaurants, bars and hotels.  

“Music makes Sydney go round. Last week it was Oasis. Now it’s Metallica and ACDC and then Lady Gaga just before Christmas,” Ms Jones said.  

 “It’s been more than a decade since Metallica and ACDC played in Sydney and having both in quick succession will supercharge business activity.”  

 “Concerts like this aren’t just cultural highlights – they're economic powerhouses. About $334m is spent in the Sydney CBD, inner suburbs and Accor stadium precinct every 10 days. We expect that’ll increase by about 26% to about $424m, boosting an extra $90m into the economy.” 

Among the expected big winners in the CBD and Accor precinct are:  

• General merchandise stores, where spending is expected to increase by up to 131% 

• Accommodation, where spending is expected to increase by up to 81% 

• Bars and pubs, where spending is expected to increase by up to 49% 

• Fast food, where spending is expected to increase by up to34% 

• Restaurants, where spending is expected to increase by up to 24% 

 “Small businesses across the country are feeling positive. They’re investing, hiring, and planning to grow. We continue to stand behind the ambitions of our customers.”

NAB customer Gema Group , has the catering contract at Accor Stadium and managing director Paul Valenti said his team of nearly 1,900 people working at these events was gearing up for a huge few weeks.

“As soon as we saw AC/DC, Metallica and Oasis were coming, and that these epic bands would be delivering five concerts within three weeks, we knew they’d be big events,” Mr Valenti said.

“This is a great time of year in Sydney for businesses like ours. Customers are feeling positive, with the end of the work year approaching and daylight savings making for longer evenings.

“Whether it’s a grab and go food and drink outlet or premium hospitality, it doesn’t get much better than your workplace being a packed venue with AC/DC, Metallica or Oasis playing, especially if you’re a big music fan.

“Across the five concerts, concertgoers will eat about 58,410 buckets of chips, 14,505 burgers, and drink about 110,000 litres of beer. We’ll also serve around 11,420 fans in private suites.

“Behind the scenes we’ve been rostering so we have enough people working and locking in orders with food and beverage suppliers to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible.”

Notes: 

• Analysis is based on NAB merchant terminal data.  

• Approximately $334m is spent in the Sydney CBD, inner suburbs and the Accor precinct every 10 days. 

• The three major concerts in Sydney are forecast to increase that spend by $90m (26%) to approximately $424m in 10 days.   

• Inner city is classified as suburbs near CBD.  

The Accor stadium precinct is classified as postcodes 2127, 2140, 2128, 2144 and 2141.