Oasis’ massive reunion shows at Heaton Park in their hometown of Manchester were so profitable that they’ve led to the city opening a £250,000 fund to help support local music venues.
The band’s five Heaton Park concerts drew around 300,000 combined attendees, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. According to the Manchester Evening News, additional concerts this year from the likes of Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Charli XCX, Fontaines D.C. and Robbie Williams have resulted in a massive boost in visitors to the area, reporting around 1.3 million music tourists so far in 2025 and providing a multi-million-pound surge to the local economy.
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As a result, the Manchester City Council has opened a new fund aimed at sustaining local music venues and parks. Music venues will be able to submit bids for the funding, with the rest being allocated to parkland; final details on how venues will be able to apply and receive the funding are still in the works.
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“While the biggest gigs — in the city’s arenas and parks — might dominate the headlines, we know they are only possible because they are part of a wider ecosystem with smaller, grassroots venues providing the launchpads for acts to develop and grow,” council leader Bev Craig said when announcing the fund. “We know that across the country grassroots venues are struggling. That’s why we want to ensure that our grassroots venues can share some of the benefit from the success of those big events.”
“It’s inspiring to see Manchester recognize its place as one of the world’s leading music cities, and acknowledge that the fantastic grassroots music venue network in the city is an essential cornerstone of the amazing music being produced by Manchester artists,” added Jay Taylor of Music Venue Trust, the organization that will likely be running the fund. “Manchester City Council has taken the lead with this bold and innovative action, and we hope many more cities and towns across the country can join their efforts to secure the future of the UK’s grassroots music venue network.”
Oasis will soon head to North America for the next leg of their “Oasis Live ’25” reunion tour, with the first show going down in Toronto on August 24th; get tickets to see the band here.
