These small towns are turning into growth engines for live events

Industry experts say these events, including college festivals and low-scale stand-up and influencer specials, are easier to put together than top-tier concerts with big artists. The traction is impressive, especially for local names, since these territories are not saturated the way metros are, which see much higher frequency of shows and events. 

A young, emerging class of upwardly mobile Indians is driving this surge in cities like Surat, Jaipur, Mysuru, and Guwahati.

“We’re witnessing a massive shift in how India consumes live entertainment, with the decentralisation of entertainment playing a pivotal role. Live events are no longer restricted to the top metros. There’s a thriving greenfield opportunity in tier 2 and 3 markets, where the demand for live experiences, especially in music and comedy, is surging," said Shoven Shah, founder and CEO, TribeVibe Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, a BookMyShow enterprise that specialises in college festivals. 

Shah said colleges are right at the centre of this movement, adding that TribeVibe was launched to cater specifically to this high-intent, high-energy Gen Z audience and to bridge a longstanding gap in the college entertainment ecosystem. It has executed over 2,000-2,500 college shows, collaborating with 750-plus college festivals. 

Further, the company wants to take artists on extensive 15-plus city tours and scale up to 25 cities. Markets like Surat, Ahmedabad, and other regional centres have shown exceptional turnout, especially for local language and regional artists, revealing the immense untapped potential beyond metros, Shah said.

Regional audience’s familiarity with local artists

Siddhartha Chaturvedi, founder CEO, Event Crafter and general secretary of EEMA (Event and Entertainment Management Association), agreed that regional artists and smaller YouTube names have turned superstars and are well identified by local communities in Tier 3 cities. “Colleges are definitely a hotspot, as are cafes and religious nights," Chaturvedi pointed out.

Smaller markets are seeing tremendous traction because the frequency of large-scale entertainment in cities like Indore or Jaipur is significantly lower than in metros like Mumbai or Delhi, according to Tej Brar, head of festivals, NODWIN Gaming India. 

“So, when a major event does happen in these regions, it generates a natural sense of excitement and anticipation. Second, these markets are witnessing a surge in an aspirational, upwardly mobile middle class with increasing access to disposable income. This combination makes smaller cities highly promising for large-format shows. Our experience in cities like Mysuru, Guwahati, and others has reinforced this belief," Brar added.

Entertainment industry experts emphasize there’s a fast-growing roster of artists, even beyond regional names, who are enthusiastic about exploring these markets. From comics like Zakir Khan to music acts spanning indie, Bollywood, hip-hop, and electronic genres, there’s a clear appetite to perform where demand is intensifying. 

Smaller markets often come with unique challenges like limited infrastructure, logistical constraints and a lack of established event ecosystems, which can pose significant hurdles. There is tremendous economic and cultural potential in building this live entertainment ecosystem and to fully tap its potential, all stakeholders, including local and state authorities across various regulatory aspects must lend their support and come together to make the hosting and organising of events a more streamlined process, said Anil Makhija, chief operating officer - live entertainment and venues, BookMyShow.

Support of local authorities

“Our approach for smaller cities is rooted in building strong partnerships with local authorities and stakeholders to overcome infrastructural and regulatory challenges," said Karan Singh, CEO, Sunburn. 

The company hosted Afrojack in Shillong and Timmy Trumpet in Pune earlier this year. It also took Alan Walker’s WalkerWorld tour to cities such as Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, and Jaipur. This May, it is launching the first edition of Sunburn Summer Fest in Shillong and Bengaluru.

“Young people have decided that experiences really excite them. They are not about material possessions as much as they are about actually having experiences. And therefore, that's where they are spending the money," said Roshan Abbas, founder of performing arts collective Kommune. 

Smaller cities and colleges now have budgets equivalent to big cities and, in some cases, end up spending close to a crore on artists for their festivals, Abbas added, though most artists do a discounted college rate, which is about 30-40% lower than their market rate.