The Artists Most Likely to Leave You Sweaty, Breathless and Barefoot This Festival Season

If you’re planning to bounce from Wireless to Boomtown this summer, best pack some blister plasters and a bottle of electrolytes.

A fresh study from PureGym has named the most exhausting festival sets of the season—and headliner Drake is leading the charge with an ‘exhaustion’ score high enough to make a treadmill blush.

According to the study, which analysed BPM and set duration to identify the most exhausting festival sets of 2025, the Canadian hitmaker is turning his tour stops into cardio sessions.

His average beats per minute clocks in at 125, and his typical set runs nearly 2 hours and 44 minutes—longer than most people’s weekly workouts. That’s enough high-octane rhythm to leave your legs trembling and your voice gone by the encore.

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“Hotline Bling” might sound like an easy listen, but don’t be fooled—this is not a drill. Drake’s genre-hopping set, crowd interaction, and relentless tempo delivered him an exhaustion score of 89 out of 100. As PureGym put it, attending his performance might just qualify as a high-intensity interval session—just with fewer kettlebells and more bass drops.

The Prodigy, long-standing veterans of electronic chaos, came in second with an average BPM of 135—enough to rival a spin class soundtrack. “Firestarter”? More like calf starter. Nia Archives, with her drum-and-bass-fuelled sprint through Boomtown, hit a whopping 159 BPM across her 40-minute set—the musical equivalent of doing sprints with a speaker strapped to your chest.

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Meanwhile, 50 Cent may not be topping the tempo charts, but his near two-hour nostalgic tour through “In Da Club” and beyond racks up the mileage. Think of it as endurance dancing—slow burn, long haul.

And let’s not ignore the terrain factor. Festivals aren’t just long; they’re physical. From mud-slick fields to dodgy dance moves, festivalgoers are clocking in more than 15,000 steps per day. That’s a full 10K… and that’s before the encore.

Yvonne Formosa, PT at PureGym London, says preparation is key: “If you’re wondering how to train for a concert or festival, the simple answer is to dance! Zumba or dance fitness classes are a fun way to build cardiovascular and muscular endurance.”

She also recommends some more left-field prep: jogging on uneven ground, ankle lifts, and even ankle rotations while watching telly—anything to avoid being that person crouched down by the burger van halfway through the headline act.

Food matters too. Formosa says: “Keep your plate balanced with lean protein, complex carbs, and colourful veggies. On the day, fibre-rich snacks like trail mix and fruit are your best mates. And sip water throughout—don’t wait until you’re parched.”

Stephen Rowe, PureGym’s Chief Marketing Officer, adds: “Dancing is a great way to keep active, but most people underestimate how much energy is used. Incorporating cardio-focused, dance-style classes or outdoor sessions will help you build the stamina needed for a festival, so you can enjoy the music rather than worry about aches and pains.”

So next time you’re swaying along to Snow Patrol or skanking to Central Cee, remember: your body’s putting in a shift. The most exhausting festival sets aren’t just about the music—they’re a test of stamina, hydration, and whether you trained your ankles like Yvonne told you to.

Lace up. Load up on trail mix. And for the love of rhythm, pace yourself. Festival season isn’t a sprint—it’s a marathon. Just with glow sticks.