Why India’s Gen Z Is Travelling for Concerts and Festivals
For India’s Gen Z, music is no longer just entertainment. it’s a travel trigger. Concerts and music festivals are rapidly reshaping how young Indians choose where, when and why they travel. According to an Airbnb survey, over 62% of Gen Z in India plan music-led trips in 2026, signalling a decisive shift toward experience-first tourism.
Live events are not side attractions anymore; they are the destination. Nearly 76% of Gen Z travellers said they visited a city for the first time specifically to attend a concert or festival, underscoring how cultural moments now outweigh traditional travel cues such as long weekends or holiday seasons.
These trips rarely end with the final encore. More than 53% extend their stay beyond concert dates, using the event as a gateway to explore neighbourhoods, cafes, nightlife and local culture. Travel, in this cohort, is less about ticking destinations and more about immersing in shared experiences.
The spending power behind this shift is significant. Six in ten Gen Z travellers are willing to allocate 21–40% of their monthly income to music-led travel, with the average spend touching ₹51,000 per trip. Travel is also deeply social: 70% attend events in groups or with friends, driving demand for larger, flexible stays.
2026 New Year Issue
Essays by Shashi Tharoor, Sumana Roy, Ram Madhav, Swapan Dasgupta, Carlo Pizzati, Manjari Chaturvedi, TCA Raghavan, Vinita Dawra Nangia, Rami Niranjan Desai, Shylashri Shankar, Roderick Matthews, Suvir Saran
The trend is global in ambition. Over 40% of Gen Z travellers are open to international travel for music events, with the US, Asia and Europe emerging as top choices. Domestically, concert tourism is also helping disperse travel beyond traditional hotspots, funnelling footfall into new cultural districts and local businesses.
Airbnb India and Southeast Asia Country Head Amanpreet Singh Bajaj says this signals the rise of a new traveller, one who sees music as a gateway to discovery and values shared, immersive stays over conventional itineraries.
Large festivals are already reinforcing this behaviour. At events like Lollapalooza India, 62% of attendees cite the festival atmosphere as the reason they return, while 98% say they plan to attend again. Planning starts early too, with over a third booking travel as soon as events are announced.
The message is clear: for Gen Z, music doesn’t just move crowds. It moves markets.