New Delhi: According to the #BookMyShowThrowback2025 report, live events in India grew by 17% this year, with more than 34,000 shows nationwide spanning concerts, theatre and cultural festivals — underscoring a post-pandemic revival and expanding appetite for experiential entertainment.
A standout highlight was the Coldplay ‘Music of the Spheres’ tour, whose Ahmedabad show alone generated an estimated ₹649 crore in economic impact for local hospitality, travel and retail sectors, placing India firmly on the global map for major touring acts.
Music Tourism on the Rise:
With live concerts increasingly becoming lifestyle staples, over 560,000 Indians travelled for music events in 2025, giving a significant boost to regional economies and showing the growing interlinkage between entertainment and tourism.
The live entertainment boom wasn’t limited to international acts. Domestic artists and theatre productions also saw renewed demand, with theatre attendance up by about 45%, driven by classics and large-scale stage shows.
Cinema Still at the Core:
While live events flourished, cinema retained its central place in the cultural diet. Movie re-releases recorded millions of footfalls, illustrating both nostalgia’s pull and a robust theatrical market. BookMyShow reported nearly 58 lakh moviegoers attending re-released films across India, with audiences returning to favourites ranging from Hollywood classics to regional hits.
Regional cinema continued its upward trajectory, with films in Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Gujarati languages performing strongly at the box office and drawing diverse audiences. Titles such as Lokah: Chapter One – Chandra, Su From So and Laalo – Shree Krishna Sada Sahaayate stood out as cultural and commercial successes.
Industry analysts say the combination of live events, cinema resurgence and travel-linked entertainment consumption is reshaping India’s cultural economy. Concerts and festivals are no longer confined to major metropolises; tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Visakhapatnam, Shillong and Rajkot emerged as vibrant entertainment nodes, reflecting broader geographic penetration of demand.
Experts also highlight that the ‘experience economy’ — where consumers prioritise live engagement over passive viewership — is driving this shift, enabling artists, production houses and promoters to tap into new revenue streams and audience segments.
Looking ahead to 2026, with global acts like Linkin Park, John Mayer and Lollapalooza India already slated for performances, and ongoing growth in film attendance and re-releases, India’s entertainment landscape is poised for further expansion, bolstered by rising disposable incomes and a young, experience-hungry audience base.