This Navratri, Ahmedabad’s garba scene is seeing a clear shift — fewer mass-market events at affordable prices, but a sharp rise in premium celebrations with much higher ticket costs.
With fewer sponsors supporting large public events, the number of mass garba venues listed online has declined. At the same time, premium offerings have increased, with private, invitation-only and exclusive commercial events increasingly being organised for one or two nights.
Industry experts attribute the trend to rising artist fees and the growing cost of creating high-end experiences. Popular singers are charging between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 20 lakh per night, while events featuring elaborate décor, themes and premium facilities can cost organisers between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2.5 crore per night.
“Along with the trend of one-night and two-night high-end garba events, many organisers are also offering premium lounge facilities at the venue. These include VIP seating, special food service at the table, butlers and bouncers,” said Jaydeep Mehta, founder and president of the Event Management Federation Global (EMFG).
He said some events are also offering dedicated spaces for guests to play garba, along with appearances by artists and celebrities. “These services can cost Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh or more for a group. On the other hand, the overall cost of organising an event has discouraged many mass garba organisers, forcing them to withdraw this year,” he said.
Mass garba organisers generally charge between Rs 99 and Rs 499 per person per night. However, rising costs of sound systems, artists and other arrangements have made the business model harder to sustain. Several organisers have either withdrawn this year or joined hands with others to share expenses.
Amit Panchal, co-founder of online ticketing platform All Events, said garba event listings had doubled last year compared with 2024. This year, however, online listings have fallen sharply, although he expects the number to increase in the seven to 10 days before Navratri.
At the premium end, ticket prices have reached new highs. Panchal said the typical top-end pass now costs around four times as much as it did in 2022. Nearly half of all ticketed garba nights now offer ticket categories priced above Rs 2,000.
“Season passes are also emerging as a premium product, while a new carnival-style garba event reportedly sold about two-thirds of its tickets within 24 hours of opening sales,” he added.
With organisers increasingly choosing customised and theme-based events, premium tickets are now priced between Rs 1,000 and Rs 10,000 per person. Early-bird discounts and group bookings are being used to attract buyers.
Esha Shah, co-founder of Foodaholics Garba, said their one-night Navratri event has already sold out its early-bird ticket phases.
“We launched online and offline promotions for our one-night event, with pass bookings going live on our website about 100 days ago,” she said.
Shah added that the event has recorded a 20% year-on-year rise in early-bird pass bookings for the past four years. “We are happy to pass the benefit on to our patrons from our community,” she said.