When Balraj Singh, a Delhi-based professor, was booking tickets for singer and songwriter Satinder Sartaaj’s Heritage India tour in the capital, he had his apprehensions, which did not stem from how the concert would be, but more from the hassle that comes before and after the performance. Despite this, he booked the tickets and decided to give the concerts another chance.
Singh, who previously attended actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh’s Dil-Luminati concert in October 2024, recalled his ordeal. He was forced to drive an extra 20 minutes around the venue just to reach his parking spot. Later that night, he walked for nearly an hour, trying to figure out how to reach the bus stand on the other side of the flyover, and in the end, he had to take an autorickshaw ride.
This time, he thought his experience would be different because he booked a parking spot in advance via Blyp, a quick parking app, which was offering spots around the stadium. However, when he reached the designated spot, the Delhi Police had already set up barricades, blocking the area, forcing him to look for parking elsewhere. He later ended up parking at the India Habitat Center and had to walk 2 kilometers back and forth from the venue.
However, Singh is not the only one who raised concerns about the hassle of attending a concert in Delhi. On 14 February, the night of Sartaaj’s concert, videos posted online showed how people attending his concerts were forced to park their vehicles on the Barapullah flyover, close to the venue. The parked vehicles on one side of the flyover caused a massive traffic jam in the area.
For Hersuhail Kaur, a D2C Growth Head at Rasayanam Nutripharm, the makeshift washrooms, which are usually installed in the name of “infrastructure”, lacked basic amenities such as a tap to wash hands or a flush. speaking to livemintshe said that the lack of these basic amenities should not become the new normal for people in Delhi or other Indian cities, despite paying hefty ticket prices that range from ₹1,000 to ₹10,000.
Is this a Delhi-specific problem?
According to Anmol Kukreja, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Skillbox, a listings and ticket booking portal for multiple art forms, the country’s concert economy is structurally young and commercially booming. He added that India has moved from “occasional international tours” to becoming a serious touring market in just a few years. While demand has exploded faster than regulatory systems, venue design, and SOP frameworks are yet to evolve.
According to Kukreja, the problem isn’t limited to Delhi-NCR and is a broader Indian challenge. He added that Mumbai struggles with noise curfews and venue caps while Bengaluru struggles with traffic planning and zoning.
While that may be true, for Coldplay’s ‘Music Of The Spheres’ concert in Ahmedabad, which happened in January 2025, the arrangements were immaculate, according to Shobhit Varshney, senior manager at HDFC Bank. Varshney, who traveled from Lucknow specifically to attend Coldplay’s concert at the Narendra Modi Stadium, said everything was just perfect, including the washrooms. The venue had ample parking, but most people opted for the metro, where they were issued a two-way ticket at the time of boarding. “There were proper lines, and the management evacuated everyone depending on their stand to avoid overcrowding.” He added that even at the metro station, the security personnel were sending a limited number of people at a time.
India’s concert economy: Market is ready, ecosystem is yet to catch up
According to a EY report published in April 2025, over the past few years, India’s concert economy has seen significant growth in 2024, with 70 to 80 concert days, attracting audiences of 10,000 or more. Further, the organized live event segment in India has evolved at an impressive pace and has surpassed the ₹12,000 crore mark, and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 19% over the next three years.
The report added that Coldplay’s concert in Ahmedabad on 25 and 26 January 2025 attracted 222,000 fans and generated an estimated ₹641 crore in economic impact across multiple industries. In just two nights, ₹₹392 crore was injected into Ahmedabad’s local economy through spending on accommodation, restaurants, local transportation, and shopping. up to ₹72 crore in fiscal contribution to the government through GST was injected.
According to a 2025 BookMyShow report, India’s live entertainment sector grew by 17%. Last year, the country hosted 34,086 live events, spanning concerts, theater shows, and comedy shows, compared with 30,687 live events, including music concerts, which were organized in India in 319 cities in 2024.
According to a Financial Times report, by 2030, India aims to establish itself among the world’s top five live entertainment markets, joining the US, the UK, South Korea, and the UAE.
Are Indian cities ready to host live events of top stars like Shakira?
Kukreja said that Delhi is ready to host artists and mega concerts from a demand and audience standpoint. “The city has spending power, brand appetite, and a young demographic that consumes global culture,” he said, adding that the gap lies in infrastructure designed specifically for large-scale events.
According to Kukreja, most venues in Delhi-NCR were built for exhibitions, political rallies, weddings, or cricket, and not for 50,000 fans who expect global standards when they shell out money. So, while the market is ready, the ecosystem is still catching up.
Commenting on Shakira’s concert, scheduled to be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on 15 April, he said that while the city is ready from a consumer perspective, from an operational perspective, Delhi must tighten execution. If India wants to repeat international routing from global A-list talent, we need:
• Better traffic dispersion plans
• Dedicated concert parks
• Unified city-level coordination between authorities
Diljit Dosanjh upset over India’s concert infrastructure woes
The problem has been previously acknowledged by artists like Diljit Dosanjh, who, during his 14 December 2024 concert in Chandigarh, announced that he would no longer perform in the city unless the infrastructure improves. Dosanjh expressed disappointment over the current state of India’s concert infrastructure and highlighted the inadequate facilities. He urged the governments, both central and state, to focus on the live entertainment sector, noting that it generates significant revenue and provides jobs for many.
Why are organizers failing at providing basic amenities?
Kukreja said there are two core reasons why the organizers are failing at providing basic amenities. First is the temporary infrastructure mindset, which includes washrooms, parking, crowd flow, and entry-exit systems that are often retrofitted instead of pre-engineered.
And second, the underestimation of fan expectations. Today’s concert-goer is paying premium prices. They expect airport-level hygiene and stadium-level planning.
Questions sent to Satinder Sartaaj’s team were unanswered at the time of the publication.
Fragmented accountability blamed for Delhi’s logistical chaos
Explaining the reasons behind logistical chaos often witnessed at events in Delhi, Kukreja cited “fragmented accountability” as the main cause. He said mega concerts require centralized command. In India, responsibilities are divided among promoters, the venue owners, local authorities, police, and municipal bodies. According to him, “large-scale events require military-grade coordination, not just strong marketing”.
Despite the infrastructure challenges venues in India face today, the younger generation does not shy away from spending. Rohit (name changed), a Delhi-based businessman who experienced a similar parking situation at two different concerts of Satinder Sartaaj, said he forgot everything once he went inside and had the time of his life with the mesmerizing performance of the artist.
While the infrastructure challenges fail to dampen Indian concert-lovers’ enthusiasm, the question is whether these issues will be resolved so they get their money’s worth.
