Oasis topped the 2026 Pollstar Awards, joined by genre winners, venue honors and industry accolades at the Loews Hollywood Hotel
The 37th Pollstar Awards took center stage during the annual Pollstar Live! conference in Hollywood, where industry leaders gathered to celebrate achievements in live entertainment. The ceremony, staged at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, honored touring excellence across genres and venues; the headline moment saw Oasis take the Major Tour of the Year prize for their Oasis Live ’25 Tour. As the centerpiece event of the conference run by the trade magazine Pollstar, the awards framed broader conversations about touring, residencies and the business of live performance.
Alongside Oasis, a range of high-profile tours won genre-specific distinctions: Metallica scooped Rock Tour of the Year, the pairing of Kendrick Lamar and SZA earned Hip-Hop Tour of the Year, and The Weeknd was named for R&B Tour of the Year. Pop recognition went to Benson Boone, Bad Bunny secured Latin Tour of the Year, and comedy honors landed with Adam Sandler. In country categories, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson tied for Country Tour of the Year, illustrating how diverse touring models continue to thrive.
Support and guest artists were also spotlighted when Olivia Dean won Support/Special Guest of the Year for her appearances on Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour. Industry voters highlighted how opening slots can accelerate careers, and the timing felt especially relevant since Dean has a sold-out arena headlining run beginning in May — a shift that will likely make her ineligible to defend the same category. For the first time, the show added a fan-driven prize: the inaugural iHeartRadio Pollstar Fan Favorite Award for Live Performer of the Year went to Morgan Wallen, signaling an intersection between industry appraisal and public popularity.
The ceremony singled out venues and festivals across capacity tiers and geographies. The Eagles won Residency of the Year for their recurring engagement at Sphere in Las Vegas, while festival honors were split by size: Austin City Limits claimed the over-30,000 slot and Ohana Festival prevailed in the under-30,000 division. International festival acclaim went to Glastonbury. Nightclub and outdoor venue awards recognized the storied Troubadour and the Hollywood Bowl respectively, with Sphere and Allegiant Stadium named top arenas and stadiums offering best-in-class live experiences.
New and emerging entries also received attention: The Pinnacle in Nashville was named New Concert Venue of the Year, and Teddy Swims rose to New Headliner of the Year. These selections underscored how fresh faces and recently opened spaces are shaping touring landscapes. Other venue distinctions included Radio City Music Hall as Theatre of the Year, The O2 outside the U.S. as an arena winner, and Wembley Stadium earning stadium recognition overseas — a reflection of the global footprint of live music.
Beyond performers and locations, the Pollstar Awards celebrated executives and service providers who keep tours moving. Arthur Fogel of Live Nation was named Promoter of the Year, while Laurie Jacoby was recognized as Venue Executive of the Year for Barclays Center. Management, agency and publicity awards went to figures such as Coran Capshaw, Darryl Eaton and Rebecca Shapiro, and Creative Artists Agency won Booking Agency of the Year. Technical service winners included Upstaging for transportation, 4Wall Entertainment for concert visuals and L-Acoustics for sound, highlighting the collaborative machinery behind successful tours.
Held at the Loews Hollywood Hotel and hosted by iHeartRadio personality Valentine, the awards reflect peer voting across the industry, with the lone fan category added this year through a media sponsor partnership. The evening served both as a moment of recognition and a snapshot of a resilient live business: established superstars, breakthrough artists, venues large and small, and the behind-the-scenes professionals who deliver live music all took home honors, offering a comprehensive look at the state of touring and live events.