One tour, eight cities, seventeen days

KATSEYE open the European leg of their WILDWORLD tour on 1 September at the 3Arena in Dublin, and finish it on 17 September at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen. In between, the group plays London, Manchester, Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne and Antwerp, then returns to Dublin for a second night. Ten arena shows, eight cities, seventeen days.

That shape is worth understanding before you book anything. A residency asks the audience to travel to one fixed place. A tour that moves this quickly does the opposite: it lets you choose the city first and the date second. The show that arrives in Amsterdam is the show that played London a week earlier, so the deciding factors become flights, hotel prices and how many days you can take off work.

The tour supports the group's Wild EP, and it is the first time this many European capitals have appeared on their schedule in one block. Demand for that kind of run tends to be front-loaded, because the audience travels: fans of globally released pop acts think nothing of crossing a border for a show, in the same way football supporters follow an away fixture.

The European route

Ireland and Britain

Dublin, 3Arena — 1 September, with a second show on 12 September
London, The O2 — 3 and 4 September
Manchester, Co-op Live — 6 September

Mainland Europe

Paris, Accor Arena — 9 September
Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome — 11 September
Cologne, Lanxess Arena — 13 September
Antwerp, Sportpaleis — 15 September
Copenhagen, Royal Arena — 17 September

The two London dates are the easiest to reach from most of Europe, and The O2 is served directly by the Underground and by river boat from the centre of the city. The venue page lists everything else scheduled there, which is useful if you are already planning a London weekend.

Paris is the other easy entry point. The Accor Arena sits in the Bercy district on the eastern side of the city, close to the river and well connected by metro, and the high-speed rail links from London and Brussels put it within a comfortable half-day of both. Copenhagen closes the leg on 17 September, and the Danish capital is compact enough that a two-night visit covers most of what people come to see.

The dates that fit a weekend

Not every date suits a short trip, and here the calendar does some of the work for you. Five of the ten shows fall on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday: London on Friday 4 September, Manchester on Sunday 6 September, Amsterdam on Friday 11 September, Dublin on Saturday 12 September and Cologne on Sunday 13 September.

A Friday show means travelling on Friday morning and keeping the whole weekend in the city afterwards. A Sunday show works in reverse: two days of sightseeing first, with the concert as the closing night. The midweek dates, such as Paris on Wednesday 9 September and Antwerp on Tuesday 15 September, are usually cheaper for both flights and hotels if your schedule is flexible.

Three cities, one rail corridor

The most interesting stretch of the tour for travellers is the middle of September. Amsterdam plays on Friday 11 September, Cologne on Sunday 13 September and Antwerp on Tuesday 15 September. All three cities sit on the same high-speed rail corridor: a direct train links Amsterdam and Cologne in about three hours, and Cologne to Antwerp takes a similar time with one change in Brussels.

That makes a five-day trip through three countries realistic without a single internal flight. Even two of the three cities is a strong short holiday. It is also a routing that suits concerts far better than football, where matches in different countries tend to fall on the same evening.

Before you book

Arena concerts sell in a different pattern from stadium concerts. Capacity is smaller, so the best categories go early, and the floor is usually standing while the tiers are seated. Check which one you are buying, because the two experiences are very different. Start times also vary between these dates, so read the time on the listing rather than assuming it matches the previous city.

If Europe does not suit you this autumn, the tour continues in North America from 13 October, opening in Miami and running through November, with the closing shows in Mexico City.

Plan the trip around the show

Pick the city first, then the date, then look at what else is happening while you are there. City pages list concerts and sport in the same calendar, which is how a one-night trip quietly becomes a three-night one.

Browse the current KATSEYE dates and the rest of our entertainment listings to see what is available in the city you had in mind.