After a tense, quiet weekend that saw a series of cancellations—from food tours to literary festivals, Delhi is beginning to stir back to life. With the ceasefire offering relief following the brutal Pahalgam attack and simmering tensions with Pakistan, the capital city is cautiously optimistic. From bookstores to performance venues, organisers are tentatively putting events back on the calendar—some postponed, others rescheduled.
The return to normalcy, however, is being handled with care. “Now that a ceasefire has been agreed upon, I hope things will fall into place quickly,” says Ashmita Lucktoo, marketing head of Rooh Restaurant. Anjaleka Kripalani, founder of Angie Homes, agrees that “more than financial distress, it was the fear and uncertainty that caused more damage”.
Many cultural spaces across the city share this optimism. The Rabindra Jayanti celebrations, originally scheduled conveniently on a weekend for May 9 — Tagore’s birthday is on May 7 — have been rescheduled for Sunday, May 18, at the Kali Mandir Society premises in Chittaranjan Park, with an evening of music, poetry, and other artistic expressions. Likewise, the Red Bull Dance Your Style Delhi qualifiers — initially paused — are now confirmed for today, May 17, at Travancore Palace.
Paritosh Parmar, founder of ToTheCulture, the distribution partner for the Red Bull event, explains that the qualifiers—set for last Saturday—were thrown into limbo due to rising cross-border tensions. “There was disappointment. The event was called off just a day before, but people were supportive, just a little sad. But now everyone is looking forward to what’s coming next this weekend — there’s definitely still excitement in the air,” says Parmar.
Towards business as usual
Delhi’s event managers are working the phone to get the city’s night-life back on track. Ayushi Gupta, co-partner and COO, Venuexperience, says “while there was a significant impact last week with over 50 per cent of bookings cancelled, heavily affecting restaurants—performing artist bookings dropped by a staggering 95 per cent leading to a near standstill in live performances—the industry is bouncing back as hoped. Last week’s bookings ranged between 50-100 pax, but this week we’re on track to surpass 250+, a strong indicator of renewed public engagement and support.”
The band Swarrveda, for example, which was scheduled to play at Roma in Connaught Place last weekend is looking forward to a performance two weekend later at the same venue, confirmed Dhruv Sharma, head of events and marketing, Roma. “People have started stepping out, number of reservation calls have increased and artist performances are back on track.”
Ripple effect
The past week felt like a collective holding of breath. The impact of the escalating conflict was both immediate and deeply felt across the country,
particularly in the border states. From Jammu to Haryana and Punjab, citizens were navigating blackout drills, heightened security, and the unsettling sound of distant explosions.
This ripple effect reached the capital too. Some events were cancelled even before the near-war situation, in response to the Pahalgam incident in late April—like the luxury gourmet store launch by Le Marche at The Chanakya, which has yet to be rescheduled.
In solidarity
Several city-based collectives and organisations made similar decisions as a gesture of solidarity — choosing prudence and empathy in response to the cross-border tensions. The Mother’s Day event by Rooh and Doodlage Studio, scheduled for May 9, was cancelled at the eleventh hour. “We didn’t want anyone questioning our mentality to celebrate when the nation was at stake,” says Lucktoo.
The shift extended beyond formal events to some of Delhi’s most popular public spaces. Connaught Place, known for its vibrant eateries, saw a 20-30 per cent dip in footfall. Last weekend a party planned at the restaurant Chica, was cancelled. “It’s sentimental. We couldn’t have a live band play when the country is tense,” said Chef Aman of Roma [Chica and Roma are helmed by the same team]. Still, he remains hopeful noting the “great crowd for Mother’s Day—though those are intimate affairs, mostly within families”.
Book lovers in the city too, had to pause. Penguin Books’ team’s annual trip to Landour on May 19 to celebrate Ruskin Bond’s birthday, a lively event with book launches and fan interactions—was shelved this year. “We, along with Mr. Bond, decided not to celebrate his birthday owing to the current scenario,” said Mansi Shetty, general manager, marketing, Children’s and Penguin Select. The one-year anniversary meetup of the city-based book club, The Bookworms of Delhi, was called off too. Founder Zeeshan Saifi explains, “Given the escalating tensions at the border and the high-security alert in Delhi, we felt we just had to to cancel the meetup.”
Fear and travel
Some disruptions also stemmed from logistical issues and travel restrictions as well as fear and anxiety. “As the tension broke out between the countries, some families became anxious to celebrate a special moment like a wedding. Fear gripped a lot of people, and as a result, some of our clients postponed their weddings,” explains Kripalani.
Similarly two food tours by Delhi Food Walks were cancelled. Founder and food blogger Anubhav Sapra says, “Airports were closed, and many of our guests from the UK were stuck. We’d also planned a tour in Manali, but at that time the Chandigarh airport was still not operational.”
Parmar also shares how travel impacted the Red Bull Dance Your Style Delhi qualifiers: “Many contestants from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were caught in uncertainty. I had people calling me saying, ‘Brother, we came all the way from Jaipur.’ All they could do was get off at the next station and return home.”
Similarly, the airport area, including restaurants like Kuuraku Ramen located in Aerocity, experienced a brief dip in footfall. “There was a minor shift in customer behaviour for a few days following the incident, and we also observed a slight impact at our food court outlet in Aerocity, which typically sees guest traffic linked to travel,” says Seijiro Hirohama, Managing Director of Kuuraku India Pvt Ltd.
As Delhi gets back into the groove, there’s a shared and unspoken understanding among all. The return to normalcy is non-negotiable but it’s also about having contingency plans. Moving on and ahead has to be a delicate manoeuvre. “Behind every event lies extensive logistical coordination, financial investment, and the effort of countless individuals. Postponements or cancellations don’t just affect the calendar—they carry significant economic and emotional consequences. In a situation like this, where public sentiment and safety are both at play, there are no easy answers—only thoughtful, often difficult, decisions,” says TMS columnist and lifestyle expert Vernika Awal. For now, the city breathes a little easier. Its cultural heartbeat, though briefly muted, is once again steady but cautious and present.