Is it cheaper to see Coldplay perform in Abu Dhabi than in Mumbai?

Many fans of the Grammy-winning pop band Coldplay in India couldn’t grab tickets for the Mumbai concert on January 18, 19, and 21, 2025. However, they still have a chance to watch the band play live without burning a hole in their pockets or purchasing tickets from unauthorised sellers at exorbitant prices.
Coldplay is all set to perform at Zayed Sports City Museum in Abu Dhabi on January 11, 2025. The pre-sale of tickets started on September 25, allowing you to buy only four tickets in one booking, provided you registered for the sale on Coldplay’s official website on September 23. The general sale of tickets for the show will be available starting September 27, 2024. Fans can purchase them from the band’s official website.
The question now arises is whether it would be cheaper for non-Mumbai residents to attend the Coldplay concert in Abu Dhabi than in Mumbai, considering that five-star hotels within 20 km of the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, where the band is set to perform, are charging almost Rs 1 lakh per night during the concert dates.
Let’s consider a person from Delhi, on this date (September 25), decides to attend a Colplay concert and has the option to attend either of the two concerts in Mumbai and Abu Dhabi. Here’s a comparison of ticket prices, flight fares, and stay for a two-day trip.
The ticket prices for the Music of the Spheres tour in Mumbai ranged from Rs 2,500 to Rs 35,000 (lounge) when the ticket sale went live on BookMyShow on Sunday, September 22. Currently, the lowest ticket price is Rs 29,418, according to Viagogo.com, a third-party ticket resale website.
In comparison, the lowest ticket price for the concert in Abu Dhabi is Rs 4,441.
If you take a New Delhi-Abu Dhabi flight a day before the concert, on January 10, 2025, an early morning IndiGo flight will cost Rs 11,469. The expenditure on a round trip, if you are returning on January 12, will come to around Rs 22,017 per adult (as per MakeMyTrip).
All Indians holding a US visa or UK or EU resident permits are eligible for a visa on arrival in Abu Dhabi. It will be valid for 14 days and will cost Rs 2,276.54. For others, the Express UAE Visa will cost Rs 820 with a validity of 48 hours.
For the Mumbai concert, if you take an early morning IndiGo flight on January 17 (a day before the concert) from Delhi to Mumbai, it will cost you Rs 7,093. A round trip, if you are returning on January 19, will cost you Rs 12,444 per adult.
In Mumbai, hotels like Courtyard by Marriott and Taj Vivanta, which are near the DY Patil Stadium where the Coldplay concert is scheduled to take place, are mostly sold out, and the available rooms are priced at Rs 1 lakh for two nights, according to MakeMyTrip.
In Abu Dhabi, the Ibis Abu Dhabi Gate hotel, located 10 km away from Zayed Sports City Museum, where Coldplay will perform on January 11, is available at Rs 17,214 from January 10 to January 12. The business hotel Centro Capital Centre by Rotana is available at Rs 16,880 per night.
Now, let’s do the maths.
A person going to attend the Coldplay concert in Mumbai will have to spend approximately Rs 1,41,862 (for a two-day trip excluding food and other expenses). Whereas a person going to attend the Coldplay concert in Abu Dhabi will have to spend approximately Rs 61,278-62,734 (depending on your type of visa) for the same duration of stay.
In case you miss out on Abu Dhabi tickets as well, the British band will head to Hong Kong after performing in India. They will perform on April 9, 11, and 12, 2025, at Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong, and tickets will go live on the band’s official website on October 10, 2024.
(Disclaimer: Hotel prices and price of air tickets are dynamic and may fluctuate. This article is for informational purposes only, and readers are encouraged to check directly with hotels or booking platforms for the most up-to-date rates and availability. The India Today Group is not liable for any changes or discrepancies in the information provided)