Dhaka Concert Scene Faces Uncertainty Over Foreign Artists

Dhaka has long attracted music lovers with major concerts featuring foreign artistes, particularly popular performers from India and Pakistan. In recent months, however, attending an international concert has increasingly become a matter of uncertainty, with several highly anticipated shows postponed or cancelled at the last minute despite tickets going on sale and organisers investing heavily in preparations.

Three concerts scheduled for September 25 and 26 failed to take place. The events included mAhx Republic, featuring Pakistani musicians Ali Azmat, Mustafa Zahid and Jal alongside Bangladeshi bands Nagarbaul James, Nemesis, Level Five and Shironamhin; Sense It with Murtaza Qizilbash, featuring the Pakistani singer alongside Habib Wahid; and a Kaavish concert scheduled with Shironamhin and Meghdol.

Organisers cited security concerns, directives from relevant authorities and delays in obtaining final approval.

For mAhx Republic, an organiser said preparations had been completed and advance payments made to artistes, but the event was postponed because permission had not been granted at the final stage.

The Kaavish concert faced a similar setback. The show had already been postponed once over security-related permission issues and rescheduled after nearly 10 months. Despite organisers saying the necessary preparations, approvals and formalities had been completed, the September 26 event was postponed again following a directive from the authorities not to proceed.

The repeated disruptions have raised a pressing question for concert promoters: when should they announce an international show and begin selling tickets if final approval remains uncertain?

A complex approval process

According to an organiser involved in one of the postponed concerts, the approval process involves multiple agencies, including the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the National Board of Revenue, the Home Ministry, National Security Intelligence, the Special Branch and Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

By the time a concert is announced, organisers may already have paid advances to artistes, booked venues and invested in marketing, ticketing and production. If final permission does not arrive, much of that investment can be put at risk.

The problem is not new. In late 2025, concerts featuring foreign performers, including Pakistan’s Ali Azmat and Jal and India’s Anuv Jain, were postponed amid security concerns and delays in administrative approval.

Pakistani singer Atif Aslam’s much-anticipated December 2025 concert was also cancelled after organisers failed to secure the required local permissions and security clearances. Aslam publicly confirmed the cancellation, citing the promoters’ inability to obtain the necessary approvals, clearances and logistical arrangements.

The concert eventually took place in July 2026 at a different, congested venue. Audience members subsequently described their discomfort and difficulties.

Security concerns and organisers’ responsibilities

Authorities have legitimate reasons to scrutinise events involving large crowds and international performers. Major concerts require planning for venue security, crowd management, traffic control, emergency response and the protection of foreign artistes and their crews.

Following the July 2026 Atif Aslam concert in Dhaka, the Home Ministry directed the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to investigate the organiser after the venue was changed without prior approval. The ministry said the change breached the conditions of permission and raised security concerns, recommending that the organiser could be blacklisted.

The episode highlights the need for organisers to comply with approval conditions. At the same time, repeated last-minute decisions leave promoters and ticket buyers exposed to uncertainty when substantial preparations have already been made.

Audience confidence at stake

For concertgoers, the immediate concern is whether a postponed show will actually take place and whether their tickets will remain valid.

In Kaavish’s case, organisers said tickets already purchased would remain valid for the rescheduled event. But repeated postponements can erode audience confidence, particularly when fans spend money in advance, arrange travel or incur other expenses.

The disruptions can also affect foreign artistes, whose flights, accommodation, rehearsals, crew arrangements and promotional activities are often tied to fixed dates.

Bangladeshi musician and Nemesis frontman Zohad Reza Chowdhury recently voiced concern that repeated cancellations could damage trust among foreign artistes and local audiences.

He suggested that organisers should continue holding concerts featuring local performers if bringing international artistes becomes difficult.

“Let there be music,” he said, arguing that Bangladeshi musicians could help sustain the country’s concert culture even when international bookings face obstacles.

Promoters could respond by organising local line-ups, festivals and mixed-format events that involve fewer international-clearance requirements. Such initiatives could keep audiences engaged, but they would not resolve the underlying uncertainty surrounding foreign acts.

Calls for a more predictable system

Bangladesh has a growing audience for international music and an expanding ecosystem of promoters, venues, ticketing platforms and production companies. For the sector to grow sustainably, organisers need to know whether a concert is viable before selling tickets and committing substantial sums.

Authorities, meanwhile, need adequate time to assess security risks and ensure that events can proceed safely.

A more predictable approval mechanism could help address both concerns. Clear timelines, transparent requirements and early communication about security-related objections would give organisers more time to adjust plans and reduce the risk of cancellations hours or days before a show.

Until the process becomes more predictable, Dhaka’s concertgoers may continue to experience the same frustrating cycle: a major international artiste is announced, tickets go on sale, excitement builds, and the event is suddenly postponed.