KidZania India is redefining family entertainment by blending play, learning and real-world experiences. Through its immersive role-play environment, children get an opportunity to explore different professions while developing practical life skills. Beyond entertainment, it also offers brands an engaging platform to connect with young consumers and families through experiential storytelling.
KidZania India recently introduced a host of new role-plays, including Cybersecurity with Kaspersky, Daawat, Radio Jockey with BIG FM, Bandhan Bank, and Magic Bus and a few more are set to launch shortly.
In this interaction with Tarandeep Singh Sekhon, CBO, KidZania India, we explore KidZania India’s growth journey, evolving consumer expectations, brand partnerships and the future of experiential entertainment.
Q. What is the biggest difference between your business strategy this year compared to last year?
One thing we’ve consistently observed across more than 110 million visitors in 27 KidZania cities globally is that children evolve much faster than we sometimes give them credit for. Their interests, aspirations and even the way they consume information are changing rapidly. If children are changing, KidZania has to evolve with them.
This year, our focus has been less about adding more experiences and more about making every experience more relevant. Whether it’s financial literacy, cybersecurity, radio broadcasting or AR/VR, we’re introducing role-plays that reflect the world children are growing up in today.
At the same time, we’re refreshing existing establishments, introducing new Purpose Partnerships and creating seasonal experiences that give families new reasons to come back. The objective isn’t change for the sake of novelty—it’s ensuring KidZania remains meaningful for every new generation of children.
Q. How do you convince Indian parents to pay for real-world role-play when their kids prefer mobile screens?
I actually don’t think we’re competing with screens. Technology is an important part of a child’s life and it should be. The real opportunity lies in giving children experiences that screens simply cannot replicate.
Children don’t learn confidence by watching someone else do something. They build confidence by doing it themselves. Whether it’s flying an aircraft, presenting a radio show, investigating a cybercrime or opening their first bank account, role-play allows children to participate rather than consume.
Interestingly, we’ve also noticed that children who spend the most time in the digital world often enjoy immersive real-world experiences the most. They aren’t looking for another screen. They’re looking for something they can feel, create and remember.
Q. Are the new launches in 2026 replacing brands that left or adding to the existing partnerships?
At KidZania, we don’t simply look for brands. We look for real-world experiences children should have. That’s why we call them Purpose Partnerships.
A bank teaches financial responsibility. A cybersecurity partner teaches digital safety. A radio station builds confidence and communication. A greeting card activity with Magic Bus teaches empathy and kindness.
The brand brings authenticity, but the experience always comes first.
As industries evolve, our partnership ecosystem evolves alongside them. Some partnerships naturally conclude, others grow for many years, but our constant focus is ensuring children continue experiencing a city that reflects the real world.
Q. When a major brand partner leaves, how long does it take to replace them, and does it hurt revenue? Generally, for how long does a brand stay with KidZania?
Fortunately, we don’t look at partnerships as spaces that need to be filled. Every establishment is designed around a learning outcome first. It involves jointly developing immersive role-play experiences that educate and engage children while aligning with the partner’s business objectives.
That means when a partnership concludes, our focus isn’t on finding the quickest replacement—it’s on finding the right partner who can continue delivering an authentic experience for children. While there may be a temporary commercial impact depending on the scale of the partnership, our diversified portfolio across multiple industries ensures that the business is not dependent on a single brand.
Our partnerships are typically long-term because they go far beyond branding. They involve co-creating experiences that educate children while also delivering genuine value to the partner. And because we work across diverse industries, the overall business isn’t dependent on any single brand. Partnerships with brands such as Daawat, BIG FM, Bandhan Bank and Kaspersky demonstrate how brands invest in KidZania as a long-term experiential platform rather than a short-term marketing campaign. Like any long-term business relationship, the duration depends on mutual goals, category relevance and overall business priorities.
Q. Why would a tech brand like Kaspersky partner with a theme park instead of doing digital marketing?
Children don’t become cyber safe because someone gives them a presentation. They become cyber safe because they practise making the right decisions.
Cybersecurity is now a life skill, not just a technology topic. Through the Kaspersky Cybersecurity Centre, children learn about phishing, scams and responsible online behaviour by actively participating in realistic situations.
That’s the advantage of experiential learning. Complex ideas become far easier to understand when children experience them rather than simply hear about them.
For brands, it also creates something much deeper than awareness. It creates understanding.
Q. How are you bringing Gen AI into your role-play activities to keep them modern?
Artificial Intelligence will undoubtedly shape the future of work, and children need to understand it. But I don’t think children simply need AI role-plays. They need AI awareness.
Our objective isn’t to showcase technology for the sake of it. It’s to help children understand how AI is influencing different professions while continuing to value creativity, empathy, judgement and critical thinking—skills that remain uniquely human.
We are actively exploring ways to bring AI into the KidZania city through a meaningful, hands-on experience, and we believe the right Purpose Partner can play a significant role in helping children understand this technology in an engaging, age-appropriate and responsible manner.
Technology will continue to evolve. Our responsibility is to help children evolve with it.
Q. What percentage of your monthly ticket sales comes from repeat visitors rather than first-timers?
Our visitor mix reflects a healthy balance between first-time guests and returning families, which is important for a business built around both discovery and repeat engagement. Rather than relying solely on ticket sales, we focus on creating experiences that build lasting relationships with families over time.
While first-time visitors continue to be a significant contributor, repeat visits remain an important part of our long-term growth strategy, particularly during school holidays, seasonal events and new establishment launches. New role-play experiences along with seasonal workshops, festive celebrations and brand collaborations
One of the biggest compliments we receive isn’t a child’s first visit. It’s when they come back asking, “What’s new today?” Repeat visits are built by continuously giving families new reasons to return—whether that’s a new establishment, a seasonal workshop, a festive celebration or a new Purpose Partnership.
Discovery is what brings children to KidZania. Fresh experiences are what bring them back.
Q. Why did you shift your marketing budget toward creator-led digital storytelling instead of traditional advertising?
Families today discover experiences differently. Recommendations from people they trust often matter more than traditional advertising. That said, we don’t work with creators simply because they have followers.
We work with creators who have credibility with their audience. And perhaps more importantly, we don’t script their experience. The most authentic stories are the ones we don’t write ourselves. Creator-led storytelling has become an important part of our marketing mix because it allows families to experience KidZania through the eyes of another family.
Q. How do you ensure that kids learn about banking or cybersecurity instead of just treating it like a playground?
Children are incredibly perceptive. They know when they’re being taught. And they know when they’re having fun. The magic lies in bringing both together.
Every role-play at KidZania has carefully designed learning outcomes, but they’re delivered through participation rather than instruction.
When a child opens a bank account, investigates a cybercrime or hosts a radio show, they’re learning without feeling like they’re sitting in a classroom. And that’s often when learning is at its most powerful.
Q. How do you measure if a brand partnership builds long-term trust with young families?
Success is measured through a combination of quantitative and qualitative indicators rather than visibility alone. We look at visitor participation, customer feedback, family satisfaction and the overall quality of the experience. These insights help us understand whether the partnership is creating meaningful value rather than simply attracting attention.
Does the partner become associated with meaningful learning rather than just brand visibility? When the answer is yes, we know the partnership has gone beyond awareness to build genuine trust.
Long-term trust is ultimately reflected in whether families continue to engage with the experience and associate the partner brand with learning, authenticity and positive memories. When children remember what they learned, parents appreciate the educational value, and both choose to return, it indicates that the partnership has moved beyond awareness to build genuine and lasting brand affinity.
