When Coldplay came to Ahmedabad, it wasn’t just music echoing through the Narendra Modi Stadium—it was the heartbeat of an economic miracle.
Over three electrifying days, 220,000 fans flooded into the city. Hotels that usually charged ₹15,000 a night? Skyrocketed to ₹90,000. The city’s airport smashed its all-time record—47,000 arrivals in a single day. Even the metro system saw record ridership.
Ahmedabad wasn’t just hosting a concert—it was running a national business case study in real time. The total economic impact? A staggering ₹640 crore.
That’s not an estimate. That’s the figure the city clocked in hotel bookings, restaurant traffic, local transport, shopping sprees, and beyond.
According to a report by global strategy consultant EY-Parthenon, for every ₹100 spent on tickets, fans spent another ₹585 on hospitality, travel, dining, and retail.
That’s nearly six times more in ripple spending.
In fact, the report titled 'India's Rising Concert Economy' says that people weren’t just popping in for the music—they turned it into full-blown mini-vacations. Half the attendees stayed longer than the concert nights, pumping money into hotels, restaurants, malls, and local experiences.
15,000 people were employed to make this mega-event happen—from BookMyShow Live staff to Coldplay’s crew, from security to food vendors. Out of those, 9,000 were locals. That’s thousands of temporary jobs created, pumping money and momentum into Ahmedabad’s economy.
And it didn’t stop at food and lodging.
68% of concertgoers made special event-related purchases—Coldplay-themed outfits, accessories, and merchandise. Fashion giants Myntra and AJIO reported up to a 3x spike in sales during the concert window.
Coldplay—Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion—played their final India shows on January 25 and 26, after beginning their tour in Mumbai. Their final performance was streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar, taking the excitement beyond stadium walls and into millions of homes.
The Coldplay phenomenon was so massive, it caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who urged state governments and private players to ramp up infrastructure to unlock the potential of India’s concert economy.
And it’s working. Since Coldplay, a new cultural wave is rising.
International artists like Ed Sheeran, Bryan Adams, Guns N Roses and Travis Scott have announced tours in India. Coldplay lit the fuse. Now India’s live music economy is exploding.
