Rashik Bhattarai and Rishavh Shrestha, representing Garage Entertainment, an event management company, and MN, an artist management company, have spent two years tirelessly working to bring Arijit Singh to Nepal for a concert. After numerous trips between India and Nepal, establishing contacts and negotiating contracts, their efforts have paid off. The concert was scheduled to take place on November 25 at The Hyatt Ground.

Now that the event has been finalised, the organisers are gathering their resources to spruce up the venue. But the concert’s demands go beyond mere sprucing up. Shrestha and Bhattarai explain they’re starting the production work from scratch, as a large-scale event like this necessitates careful planning to ensure efficiency and satisfaction for both the artist and the audience.

“It’s akin to building a house right now. There are no bathrooms on the grounds, so we’re constructing those. We also need to create a green room and a vanity area for the artist. All production items are being brought in. It’s quite a lengthy process,” says Bhattarai.

Both teams have been actively engaged in pre-concert events and promotional activities, such as Arijit Singh night and ‘Road to Arijit Singh’ events in colleges, aimed at generating excitement among the audience.

“This is not just an event. This is an experience,” emphasises Bhattarai.

The road to organising this concert was challenging due to the absence of a policy for entertainment event tourism in Nepal. According to the organisers, the registration process, involving extensive back-and-forth with Rastra Bank, took two months to complete. Despite the hurdles, their shared vision of boosting tourism in Nepal through entertainment kept them motivated.

Shrestha and Bhattarai share that the response from the audience has been very encouraging. Early bird tickets sold out within 15-20 minutes of being announced, and currently, more than half of the tickets have been sold. The organisers anticipate an audience of 15,000 at the concert.