British rock band Coldplay performs at Global Citizen India at MMRDA Ground, BKC on Nov. 19, 2016 in Mumbai, India.<\/p>\n
Hindustan Times \/ Contributor<\/p>\n
Tanvi Shirgaonkar is counting down to Jan. 24, when she will finally get to see the Japanese artist Fujii Kaze, best known for the song “Shinunoga E-Wa,” perform in Mumbai at Lollapalooza India.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old banking professional said the show will be the first of many concerts and live events she plans to “experience” this year. An avid fan of South Korean pop group BTS, Shirgaonkar attends a live event roughly every two months, mostly in Mumbai, and travels overseas at least once a year to see her favorite artists perform.<\/p>\n
“Live entertainment offers an experience of collective effervescence and it’s great for social media clout,” the millennial told CNBC.<\/p>\n
Shirgaonkar is among a growing tribe of young Indians, whose rising disposable incomes are fueling a boom in the country’s live entertainment industry. <\/p>\n
People attend the Lollapalooza India music festival in Mumbai on Jan. 28, 2023.<\/p>\n
Punit Paranjpe | Afp | Getty Images<\/p>\n
Between 2024 and 2030, India will have the highest<\/a> increase in working-age population globally, with over 100 million people expected to be added, according to a April 2025 report by Bain & Company. <\/p>\n India’s working-age population, defined as those aged 15 to 59, currently accounts for 64.2% of the total population and is expected to remain near 65%<\/a> over the next decade, according to government data.<\/p>\n Income per capita is also projected to grow the fastest among the top five emerging markets, including China, Brazil, Mexico, and Russia.<\/p>\n That demographic shift is supporting stronger demand for live entertainment.<\/p>\n Companies, including\u00a0Eternal<\/a>, which operates the live events platform District, and popular online ticketing platform BookMyShow, are among those betting on the trend.<\/p>\n India’s live entertainment sector grew by 17% last year, according to a report by BookMyShow<\/a>. In 2025 alone, India hosted 34,086 live events, spanning concerts, theatre shows and comedy shows.<\/p>\n Rapper DaBaby performs in the crowd at Loud Park on Nov. 22, 2025 in Navi Mumbai, India. <\/p>\n Matt Jelonek | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images<\/p>\n Several large international tours helped drive the surge. These included Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour in Ahmedabad and Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus tour, which concluded in India with shows in New Delhi and Mumbai.<\/p>\n “Seventy percent of the live event attendees are under 35 years of age and 52% are under 30,” said Raghav Anand, partner and leader for digital, media and convergence at EY Parthenon, a consultancy.<\/p>\n Anand said the Coldplay concerts marked a turning point for the sector in India, demonstrating the scale of demand and the country’s ability to host global productions.<\/p>\n “The amplification of the [Coldplay] event won over a huge number of people in the experiences bracket, said Anand.<\/p>\n International artists are increasingly adding\u00a0multiple\u00a0Indian\u00a0cities\u00a0to their tour schedules, aided by\u00a0digital platforms\u00a0that make their work\u00a0more accessible to fan bases across the country.<\/p>\n Affluence fuels demand<\/p>\n A key driver of the surge in live events is the growing number of affluent households, which are giving consumers more disposable income to spend on experiences, industry experts said.<\/p>\n “Once you are affluent, it is about new experiences”, said Anand.<\/p>\n Naman Pugalia, Chief Business Officer at BookMyShow,\u00a0described the rise in live events as\u00a0a “real renaissance,” driven by audiences placing greater value on how they spend their leisure time.<\/p>\n That shift is reflected in growing demand for premium offerings. According to the BookMyShow report, 2025 saw a doubling of footfall for premium live-event experiences, including VIP pits, viewing decks and enhanced hospitality zones.<\/p>\n A general view at Lollapalooza India 2025 on March 8, 2025 in Mumbai, India.<\/p>\n Matt Jelonek | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images<\/p>\n The shift is not confined to major metropolitan areas. Smaller cities are seeing rapid growth, which Pugalia attributed to the increasingly fluid nature of fandom across the country.<\/p>\n “Fandom is such a powerful force that it knows really no definitions of tiers or metros, non-metro,” he said, noting that demand is no longer limited to traditional cultural hubs.<\/p>\n Live entertainment footfalls rose 213% in Shillong, 188% in Guwahati and 94% in Nashik in 2025, according to BookMyShow.<\/p>\n Spillover effects<\/p>\n