The Sunburn festival in Goa, billed as Asia's biggest electronic dance music festival, may have rocked many a music lover's heart but it also left the state exchequer richer by Rs.10.34 crore over its last three editions.
In a written reply tabled in the Goa assembly on Wednesday, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said 43,750 music lovers attended the event over the past three years.
In 2012-13, the event which has emerged as one of the most popular music festivals in the country, netted the state government Rs.3.11 crore, while in 2013-14 Sunburn collectively earned various state government agencies, like tourism, commercial taxes, excise and police, Rs.3.60 crore.
In 2014-15, the Goa government netted Rs.3.62 crore in earnings from taxes and services.
The attendance figures provided by Parulekar, however, contrast with claims made by Sunburn in its official media releases.
While government figures claim that in 2013-14, 12,499 music fans attended the do, Sunburn claimed that nearly 1,60,000 fans were in attendance.
Sunburn Festival is organised in Goa every year in the last week of December.
