India, February 5, 2026: District by Zomato, the going out platform has published a one-of-its-kind cultural report – Touching Grass, highlighting how the cultural reset is reshaping India’s social landscape. The report identifies how India is moving away from screen-based validation to real-world experiences that prioritise presence and meaningful connections.
After years of relentless digital consumption, India’s young urban population is driving what the report calls an ‘analog renaissance,’ a collective return to physical experiences marked by intentionality, sensory engagement, and community formation. The shift isn’t a rejection of technology but a recalibration of how people seek validation, build identity, and spend their most valuable resource: time.
Four Major Shifts Reshaping Going-Out Culture
Plot-First Culture: The new luxury is a story. Experiences are becoming story engines where the new social capital has shifted to provenance. From cold plunge raves to coffee shop matinees, consumers crave novelty that generates lore rather than just content. The report reveals that 83% of Indian Gen Z choose trainer-led community fitness classes featuring high engagement, while friction (once eliminated by digital convenience) is now considered ‘sexy’ because it demands presence. District’s Logout series featuring curated, one-off gatherings, exemplifies this shift by creating distinctive cultural meetups shaped around community, ritual, and presence, where showing up becomes social value.
Ambient Belonging: The desire for connection remains top of mind, but the rules of engagement have shifted. Company is no longer the price of entry. People are opting for low-pressure, low-stakes environments that provide the structure of togetherness without actively asserting commitment. This is the era of the communal nomad, where belonging isn’t linked to an inner circle but to a shared rhythm. The report reveals that 22% of concertgoers now attend solo, while 61% of Indian diners value interactive elements like open kitchens and chef interactions.
Dual Prime Times: Social clocks have been reset. The city now operates on dual peaks where it’s just as valid to blow off steam on weekdays as it is on weekends. With 40% of dining out now happening during weekdays and wellness entering the everyday, AM culture is growing alongside traditional PM nightlife. Plans are no longer linear. They are stacked to make space for elastic schedules and diverse interests. Luxury lies in the freedom to switch between hustle and leisure.
Revolt Against the Rot: After years of relentless time online, there’s a palpable analog renaissance underway. A collective lunge toward reality driven by fatigue from digital disembodiment. People are gravitating toward experiences that feel rooted, human, and unfiltered. From pottery cafés to film photography workshops, 80% of Indians now want to be treated as individuals with unique interests. Texture becomes truth. Materiality becomes meaning.
Rahul Ganjoo, CEO, District by Zomato, said, “Since District’s inception, we’ve been asking a simple question: ‘How are people really going out today?’ We’ve spent the past year watching not just what’s trending, but the quieter undercurrents driving them. These behavioral signals point to a fundamental reset: presence is returning as status. Touching Grass is our attempt to map these shifts and offer a cultural compass for everyone building the next wave of India’s going-out economy.”
The report also identifies 11 micro trends reshaping consumer behavior, including the Collision Economy (unexpected genre mashups creating stimulus), the Algoditch (stepping away from algorithmic living), Sidequest Core (the desire for hands-on creation and ownership), and Myth-Making (experiences designed with narrative longevity). These trends collectively point toward a generation rewriting the rules of status, identity, and social participation.
With Touching Grass, District by Zomato brings a cultural lens to India’s going-out economy- offering insights for artists, platforms, restaurants, venues creators and brands building the next wave of experiences.
