The Perfect Symphony for Indians: Travel, music festivals & concerts

New Delhi: Indians travelling overseas for live concerts and music festivals, which emerged as a trend last year, is set to strengthen in 2026.

Among the recent international entertainment events that have drawn Indians are Tomorrowland (Belgium), Glastonbury Festival (UK), Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (California), Ultra Music Festival (Florida) and overseas editions of Lollapalooza.

Affluent music fans are combining events with leisure trips. Karan Agarwal, director, Cox and Kings, said Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Paris are among the top destinations for concert tourism.

Cultural Calendar

“We are seeing strong interest from younger travellers and urban professionals who are combining concerts with short leisure breaks, typically spanning three to five days,” Agarwal said.

Agarwal added that music fans are also exploring the cities and surrounding regions where the events are held. He said he expects sustained growth in concert tourism in 2026, particularly across Southeast Asia, West Asia and some European cities.

“We are seeing travellers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, aligning trips around announced global touring schedules and established festival calendars, often planning well in advance of fixed event dates,” said Rajeev Kale, president and country head, holidays, MICE & Visa, at Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.

People in the know said this year could see pop band Michael Learns to Rock and John Mayer holding concerts in India.

“Alongside international events, India’s own cultural calendar continues to drive music-led travel, such as Chennai’s Margazhi season, drawing audiences from within the country and overseas,” said Kale.

Most travellers extend stays to explore the neighbouring areas and their cuisines, said experts.

According to SD Nandakumar, president and country head for holidays and corporate tours at SOTC Travel Ltd., travellers from tier-2 and 3 cities are actively tracking global lineups and festival announcements.

“Live concerts and destination music events are becoming part of a broader experiential travel narrative, particularly among younger travellers who prioritise time-bound, shared experiences,” said Nandakumar.

Travel company Pickyourtrail said 10–12% of travellers plan their international holidays around music festival dates. Travellers integrate these events into milestone celebrations such as honeymoons, anniversaries or birthdays, said the company’s spokesperson.

For Pickyourtrail, international travel bookings in 2025 linked to concerts and live music events grew by about 32.6% from the previous year.

“The audiences for these concerts are largely Gen Z and millennials, approximately aged 18 to 35, based in major urban centres such as Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad,” said Pickyourtrail’s spokesperson.

Asia, too, is appearing on the global music map through events such as Fuji Rock Festival (July), while South America is set to host “Rock in Rio” (September).

“In 2025, India chose entertainment with intention, signalling a clear cultural shift,” said Anil Makhija, chief operating officer for live entertainment and venues at BookMyShow. “The fact that over 1.8 million fans chose to attend events solo only underlines the growing confidence and cultural centrality of live experiences.”

Thomas Cook India’s Kale said the travel company has even flown in celebrity music artistes for private and exclusive performances that have been the rewards and recognition incentive trips offered by some leading business houses.