MUMBAI, INDIA, July 4, 2026 (Edition): Outside the aircraft hangar-sized venue, the crowd of Gen Z office workers and teenagers is thickening. Event staff scan QR codes and fasten wristbands. Friends take selfies together as they wait in a queue. As night falls, the doors open and the nearly 5,000 attendees walk in. Inside the venue in India’s commercial hub Mumbai they remove their shoes and sit cross-legged on the floor. The lights dim. In the front row, a young mother rocks her baby on her shoulders, waiting for the music to begin. When it comes, it’s not thumping electro or pop lyrics that boom through the speakers, but centuries-old Hindu devotional songs more commonly heard in a temple or religious procession. As the music builds, entire sections of the crowd rise to their feet, clapping, chanting and dancing together. The atmosphere is ecstatic. But there’s not a whiff of marijuana, nor is anyone boozing. In fact, the organizers have expressly banned alcohol and drugs from the event – and the attendees wouldn’t have it any other way.
Welcome to “Bhajan clubbing,” a fast-growing trend that’s seeing young Indians gather to lose themselves – soberly – in another iteration of the “sober curious” events or “coffee raves” that are growing in popularity in Europe and America, as Gen Z across the world increasingly turn their backs on drugs and alcohol. The hymns themselves are not new. Bhajans are a centuries-old form of devotional singing performed in temples, religious processions and community spaces across India, often free of charge. What is new is the setting: ticketed events held in large venues, complete with smoke machines, giant LED screens and the kind of production usually associated with clubbing and concerts. Similar gatherings are now appearing across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, while versions of the format have begun surfacing overseas in countries including Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
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https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/04/india/india-gen-z-trend-spiritual-bhajan-clubbing-intl-hnk