08-02-2025
Lovin' Life festivalgoers bolstered Charlotte's economy
Charlotte is gearing up for its second Lovin' Life Music Festival with headliners including Gwen Stefani, Dave Matthews Band and Benson Boone, plus a bunch of recently announced additional acts.
Why it matters: The inaugural festival was a bright moment for the city, according to organizers, generating $32 million in economic impact through additional tourism spending on everything from food to hotels to transportation.
By the numbers: The sold-out festival drew 86,799 people, with tickets sold in all states and 10 countries, according to a recent presentation from festival organizer Southern Entertainment.
Saturday accounted for the most people with 31,023, followed by Friday's crowd of 29,344 and Sunday's 26,432.
The top 10 states for ticket sales, respectively, were North Carolina (30,676), South Carolina (3,692), Virginia (2,202), New York (896), Pennsylvania (796), Georgia (737), Tennessee (710), Florida (676), Maryland (596) and Texas (564).
56% of attendees were female and 44% male.
Ages 25-34 and 35-44 led ticket sales with a combined 60% (30% each), followed by 18-24 at 18%, 45-54 at 16%, 55-64 at 5% and 65+ accounted for 1%.
What they're saying:"We expect to deliver at the same level or above this year," Michael Stephens, Southern Entertainment's VP of partnerships & marketing said at Wednesday's Greater Charlotte Hospitality & Tourism Alliance gathering.
The intrigue: Lovin' Life is not quite Bonnaroo in Tennessee with its $339.8 million economic impact and decades of history, or Dreamville in Raleigh with its $145.9 million economic impact (both figures reflect the 2023 festivals).
Yes, but: LLMF organizers expected roughly 90,000 fans and more than $30 million in economic impact in year one.
The bottom line: Charlotte is hungry for a music festival and music lovers packed Uptown to hear Post Malone, Stevie Nicks, Noah Kahan, Shaboozey, DaBaby and other artists perform. Now it's time to see what the festival can do in year two.
What's next: Lovin' Life Music Fest returns to Uptown May 2-4. Additional headliners and artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
