Electronic dance music (EDM) festival Sunburn Goa, happening between December 28 and 30, is estimated to have an average spend of Rs 50,000 per visitor and generate approximately Rs 250 crore for the region through hotel, F&B, transport and other expenses incurred by festival-goers. Similarly, Echoes of Earth, popularly known as the green music festival in Bengaluru and Goa, started in 2016 with a footfall of 6,000. Last year, it recorded footfall of 23,000 and this year 25,000 people are expected to attend. Tickets are priced at Rs 3,999 for a single day and Rs 5,999 for two days.  

Lollapalooza India will happen in March 2025 with a line-up featuring global stars like Green Day and Shawn Mendes in Mumbai, with tickets priced in a range of Rs 5,999 to Rs 47,999. Reportedly, Lollapalooza India’s presale and general admission tickets were sold out six months before the festival date. The 2023 edition reportedly drew over 60,000 fans. 

Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival is a major revenue source for the state. The first edition in 2000 saw 13,268 visitors, and this year, over 86,000 have visited the ongoing festival in the first five days. The festival also attracts big sponsors including Toyota, Raymond Group, Gaana.com, Honda Motors and Casio.

Clearly, live entertainment is booming in India. The concerts and music events industry stands at Rs 805 crore, and will cross the Rs 1,000-crore mark by end-FY25, as per an EY report titled The Music Creator Economy — The Rise of Music Publishing in India, 2023.

A recent analysis by Bank of Baroda highlighted how live concerts and entertainment events in India have generated an estimated spending of Rs 1,600-2,000 crore in the past two-three months alone.

Other music festivals like Magnetic Fields, Mahindra Kabira, etc, are all seeing more and more participation each year.

“The concept has resonated with partners and sponsors, bringing in 2-3x sponsorships. Echoes of Earth debuted in Goa in 2024, and we will add more cities and countries going ahead. The fest today sees 80% exponential growth from pre-covid to post-Covid in tickets and sales,” said Roshan Netalkar, founder and festival director.

Arpito Gope, chief consultant, Task Force for Music & Arts (TaFMA), a state department created by the government of Nagaland to promote artistes, told FE: “Very few cultural festivals have attained this longevity and success in converting Hornbill to a mega conclave. Partnerships contribute values well above Rs 1 crore or more in sponsorship and other associations. Last year, over 40 bands performed on stage, featuring nearly 800 artistes.”

As per BookMyShow, footfalls for live entertainment went up by nearly 82% in 2023 over the previous year and reached 13.5 million with promising numbers from Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Hyderabad and fans from Tier-II cities such as Lucknow and Bhubaneswar. The footfall from tier II cities increased by nearly 225%.

For festivals like Magnetic Fields, location is the USP. Celebrating its 10th edition this year in Rajasthan, the event attracted over 5,000 people in 2023. “Such festivals offer a varied experience over playing at a venue or club,” said Munbir Chawla, co-founder and festival director, who said tickets are a big source of revenue besides collaborations with brands such as Budweiser, Jameson, Ray-Ban and Corona.