Music live shows are not nearly leisure — they’re now a part of a broader development with India’s kids combining lived experiences with journey, which in flip is reimagining the idea of tourism. That is evident in the way in which music lovers are scrambling to get tickets for Coldplay’s live shows or travelling cross-country to see DJ Alan Walker carry out.
Srikant Goenka, Chairman, Indian Affiliation of Amusement Parks and Industries (IAAPI), mentioned music live shows and festivals have turn into mainstream, and likewise multiplied in numbers. “It isn’t simply artists and music that drive the crowds, but additionally the gorgeous locations these occasions are held at and the cultural insights they provide,” mentioned Goenka.
Anuradha Venkatachalam, Resort Captain, Moxy Bengaluru Airport Status Tech Cloud, identified that India’s music tourism scene is not restricted to metropolitan areas. “Whereas cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Goa stay iconic live performance locations, we’re seeing music lovers drawn to Tier 2 cities like Pune, Jaipur, and Kochi, the place distinctive music festivals and stay occasions are on the rise,” Venkatachalam mentioned.
indianexpress.com spoke to trade consultants and younger concertgoers to realize insights into this rising development.
New music live performance locations in India and overseas
Goenka named among the fashionable music festivals in India that draw large crowds yr after yr.
Amongst them, he mentioned, are the Sunburn Competition held in Goa and Pune, and NH7 Weekender, which is dubbed “the happiest music competition”, held in Pune, Bengaluru and Delhi.
Different are the Magnetic Fields Competition held on the picturesque Alsisar Mahal in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu, Mahindra Blues Competition in Mumbai, Rajasthan Worldwide People Competition (RIFF) in Jodhpur, Ziro Competition of Music within the Ziro Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, the well-known Hornbill Music Competition in Nagaland, and the Worldwide Indie Music Competition held in numerous places in Kerala.
“Internationally, cities like Dubai, Bangkok, and Singapore are scorching picks for his or her world-class festivals and proximity,” Venkatachalam of Moxy Bengaluru mentioned.
Jad Frem, Cluster Director (Gross sales and Advertising), Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Resorts, gave a novel perspective on the rise in musical live shows in Abu Dhabi, a vacation spot that has been rising fashionable amongst Indians. “The proximity, frequent flights, and streamlined visa choices make Abu Dhabi an simply accessible vacation spot for Indians. A number of key components behind this development embody a various lineup of worldwide acts, focused advertising and marketing campaigns, and a spread of lodging choices to go well with all kinds of travellers from these in search of budget-friendly resorts to the extra luxury-focused clientele,” mentioned Frem.
Hari Ganapathy, co-founder, Pickyourtrail, mentioned cities like London, Paris, Singapore, and Toronto are seeing over a 20 per cent surge in bookings when main live shows are introduced.
Music lovers mentioned they aren’t averse to travelling inside India, and even go overseas to see artists carry out.
Ankur Kundu, 23, a marine engineer, mentioned he has to journey overseas since his favorite bands typically don’t tour in India and have a major fanbase in Europe or the US.
For Ruchit Rastogi, a advisor at Deloitte Digital India, the upsides to travelling to a special metropolis are multifold. “I get to discover the place past attending simply the live performance, take part in native actions, and meet new individuals. For such journeys, you typically journey with a small and intimate group of individuals, which makes it simpler to attach and share tales with,” he mentioned.
What’s driving music tourism
Venkatachalam mentioned the surge in music tourism is powered by accessibility and community-driven experiences. With Tier 2 cities making their mark within the music scene, travellers have extra choices to discover past the same old live performance hubs. She mentioned these cities provide extra than simply music festivals — they provide native tradition, decrease prices, and distinctive venues that mix with the environment, like heritage websites and scenic landscapes.
Goenka attributed the rising development to the rise within the spending energy younger Indians have, and the Web facilitating sooner international entry to music occasions. He additionally identified that with the rising reputation of music festivals and live shows, journey corporations are designing music-related excursions and making them simpler and cheaper.
“It’s past simply watching the efficiency –– it’s about exploring the town, assembly new individuals who come from completely different backgrounds and ideologies,” mentioned Shubh Thosani, artist and repertoire consultant at Consider.
Making a funds for musical getaways
Vyom Bhatnagar, 24, mentioned travellers ought to have a sure funds in thoughts. “If you recognize that the artist has large demand however the provide of tickets is low, you received’t thoughts paying a premium,” mentioned the artistic freelancer.
Specialists mentioned with some planning, journeys to music live shows might be made wallet-friendly.
Pickyourtrail’s Ganapathy famous that travellers often allocate a good portion of their funds to live performance tickets, particularly when attending high-profile worldwide music festivals or unique performances by international artists.
IAAPI’s Goenka beneficial making reservations for flights and lodging properly prematurely, clubbing live performance journey with sight-seeing, and travelling in the course of the non-peak season to assist reduce prices.
For these heading to Tier 2 cities, Venkatachalam of Moxy Bengaluru mentioned utilizing public transit can preserve the funds in verify. “Opting budget-friendly but trendy stays and selecting inexpensive however genuine eating spots may also help travellers get extra worth out of their journey.”
Musical tourism in India hitting a crescendo
Venkatachalam mentioned musical tourism might reshape components of India’s journey trade.
“We’re already seeing travellers opting to go to distinctive locations for bespoke music experiences, and this area of interest is prone to develop for certain. It’s not nearly outbound journey both. This development might enhance India’s personal music competition scene, attracting home and worldwide vacationers alike,” she mentioned.
She mentioned as music occasions are held across the yr, they might assist stability out seasonal tourism lulls. Whereas locations and preferences could shift, the core enchantment of mixing journey with stay music experiences is powerful and is tapping right into a youthful demographic’s need for distinctive, shareable experiences, she added.
“I imagine musical tourism in India has a variety of scope. Sunburn Goa is going on quickly. And with Coldplay in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, individuals are already gearing as much as journey to completely different cities to observe their favorite artists stay. Loads of locations in Gujarat have additionally began with EDM festivals. We’ll see a variety of development within the Indian musical scene with regards to tourism,” mentioned Consider’s Thosani.
The growth of festivals into Tier 2 cities and the rise of community-driven occasions like native jam periods sign a sustainable and evolving development. As these musical experiences turn into extra accessible, there may be prone to be a permanent demand for journey that mixes tourism with cultural and social experiences.
