Rolling Loud finally arrived in India and the buzz around it felt unreal. Even before stepping into Loud Park, you could feel that the country had been waiting for a festival like this — a proper, large-scale hip-hop experience with global headliners, Indian heavyweights, and a crowd that knew every single word. And on a performance level, Rolling Loud India absolutely delivered. I just wish the logistics kept up with the magic happening on stage.
My weekend started with the kind of journey that belongs in a documentary. Gates opened at 2 p.m., we left Mumbai by 2.30, and the moment we crossed into Navi Mumbai, the traffic slowed to a crawl. At first, it felt like normal festival congestion — then it turned into a slow five-hour procession of cars barely moving while festival shuttles, locals, influencers, crew and artists all got gridlocked on the same stretch. People were stepping out of their cars, blasting music, dancing on the highway, trying to spot other festival-goers. Meanwhile, my photographer and I sat there watching updates roll in: Gurinder Gill wrapped, Robb Bank$ done, AR Paisley done, Arivu, Denzel Curry done. Every name stung a little more.
By the time we reached Loud Park at 7 p.m., the sun was gone, our backs were aching, and half the festival was already over.
But once we finally got inside, the atmosphere instantly shifted. The sound felt fuller, the crowd was already warmed up, and the whole place had that charged, slightly chaotic energy festivals are supposed to have. We walked in during the end of Swae Lee’s set, and he was everywhere at once — jumping from one end of the stage to the other, taking people’s phones to film quick clips, signing things mid-song, and keeping the crowd completely locked in. Even after the long commute, it was impossible not to wake up a little while watching him.
This was also the point where the on-ground cracks became obvious — fights were breaking out in multiple pockets of the crowd, and it wasn’t just one or two. There were a lot. During Rich The Kid’s set, a group of people literally ripped the carpet off the ground for no reason anyone could understand. Civic sense just wasn’t there. At one point, security even broke a guy’s phone while he was just standing quietly. And because manpower was thin in the right areas, GA attendees kept jumping the barricade into VIP with zero resistance. To be fair, the festival isn’t to blame for people acting out like this — but the lack of controlled zones and adequate staff made these moments way more visible than they should’ve been.
Another surprising miss was the public WiFi setup — it simply wasn’t working. For a festival of this scale, with huge crowds trying to upload stories, scan QR menus, locate friends or even pull up their tickets, having non-functional WiFi made basic movement and communication far more complicated than it needed to be.
One thing that did feel out of place for a hip hop festival was the decision to keep Rolling Loud entirely smoke-free. I get that this may not have been the organisers’ call — permissions in India can get complicated — but it still felt strange. Hip hop fans like to smoke, especially when they’re drinking, moving around, and riding that adrenaline while watching their favorite artists. Pair that with the noticeably heavy police presence — far more cops roaming around the grounds than you’d ever expect at a festival — and it created an odd kind of tension. What made it even stranger was how many fights still broke out despite so many cops being around; they just weren’t in the right places when things actually went down. It wasn’t unsafe or restrictive, just… unusual for a show built around a culture where people usually want to let loose.
Wiz Khalifa took the stage next, and his set shifted the mood again. He performed “See You Again” with this soft sincerity that made a few people near us tear up. Then he jumped into “Young, Wild & Free,” and suddenly the entire left side of the crowd had their arms around each other like they were at a college farewell. The real surprise was “The Thrill” with Empire of the Sun — that one sent a ripple through the grounds. It was nostalgic, unexpected, and honestly one of the warmest moments of the night.
Central Cee closed Day 1, and his team very kindly gave Rolling Stone India full pit access for the entire show. From that distance, you see everything — the breath control, the precision, the confidence. Cench didn’t let the backing track do the work. He rapped every word cleanly, even the collaborator verses, and he didn’t waste a single second. He kept collecting jerseys, holding up flags from the Indian diaspora, filming videos on fans’ phones, and acknowledging every corner of the crowd. It didn’t feel like he was performing in India; it felt like he was performing with India. Easily one of the sharpest, tightest headline sets I’ve seen at an Indian festival.
Backstage was a different story entirely. Interviews were shifting every few minutes, team members couldn’t find each other, nothing was synced, and the two stages were placed so far apart that it felt like a stadium-to-stadium commute. I ended up missing Hanumankind — someone I genuinely wanted to watch — because I was stuck in the middle of conflicting backstage timings. That’s the part I wish were smoother. A festival this big can’t run on guesswork.
On Day 2, I refused to repeat the same mistake. I left early, arrived on time, and actually got to breathe. I finally caught Reble’s set, followed by Sambata, who packed the grounds harder than most international acts. It genuinely felt like watching a star in real time.
Shreyas, sadly, had the worst luck of the weekend. His set was abruptly cut due to technical issues and sound problems — a shocker at a festival with this kind of international credibility. You could see how disappointed he was, and the crowd was just as confused.
Between sets, I thoroughly explored the festival. The basketball court was buzzing — people queuing up to dunk while rappers played in the background. The skatepark had pros and kids attempting tricks side-by-side. The tattoo station had a line so long you’d think free sleeves were being handed out. The bunny beauty salon had girls walking out with glitter hair and glossy lips. The Bacardi stage had its own vibe running — more low-key but always packed. And the Valorant gaming experience by Riot was genuinely impressive, with people screaming over virtual kills while Don Toliver’s set was audible from a distance.
There were also a bunch of small things that genuinely worked well across the weekend. The F&B metal seating outside the VIP area was actually really comfortable and looked great — a simple detail, but executed nicely. The festival design, branding and overall visual build-out were strong and consistent, and the branded activities were genuinely well thought out. And that sports zone? People loved it. Every time I walked past, it was packed. It added a fun break in between sets and gave the festival a bit of personality beyond the stages.
The night sets were the real fireworks. NAV brought out Gurinder Gill for “Brown Munde,” and the crowd reacted like someone flipped a switch. People were screaming the lyrics so loudly that NAV’s mic almost didn’t matter. He also went deeper into his older catalogue — “Myself,” “Tap,” “Turks” — and held the stage with proper ease.
Don Toliver came in smooth and vibey, a total contrast to Sheck Wes, who went full volume and kept yelling into the mic. It was chaotic, wild, and honestly too loud for me to enjoy properly. Among Indian artists, Divine brought the exact energy he’s known for — grateful, powerful, and connected. And then came the moment that defined the festival: Karan Aujla closing Rolling Loud India.
The fact that he’s the first non-American headliner in Rolling Loud’s global history says everything. The crowd was already charged when he walked on stage, and when he debuted the “Daytona (Remix)” with NAV live — with NAV joining him on stage — it felt like something shifted. Punjabi music wasn’t just part of the lineup; it was the finale, the exclamation mark.
But for everything the festival nailed musically, the logistics were a recurring reminder of how tough it is to pull off something this ambitious in India. The five-hour commute on Day 1, the massive walking distances between stages, the uneven carpet flooring that felt like a hazard waiting to happen, the backstage miscommunication, the technical issues and the scattered flow. It didn’t ruin the weekend, but it definitely capped how smooth it could have been.
Rolling Loud India had heart, scale, community and some of the best performances I’ve seen all year. The music rose above every shortcoming — and there were many — but when the artists deliver this hard, you can’t help but imagine how incredible this festival could be with cleaner logistics. I can’t wait for the next edition!
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