FacePass Launches in India, Making the Face the Ticket
AI-powered ticketing platform names Maniyaro 2026 as its first marquee Navratri event
Four-second gate entry. 0.4-second face verification. One face. Infinite events.
Ahmedabad, Gujarat | 15 August 2026: FacePass Entertainment Private Limited, India's first AI-powered face-recognition ticketing platform, today announced its public launch at an event held at The Grand Eulogia, Sindhu Bhavan Road, Thaltej, Ahmedabad.
At the launch, FacePass also announced Maniyaro 2026, one of Ahmedabad's much-awaited Mandli garba celebrations, as its first marquee partner event for the upcoming Navratri season.
Founded by Mohit Bhalgat and Vishesh Thakkar, FacePass aims to transform the way audiences enter ticketed events by replacing traditional physical tickets and QR codes with facial identity-based entry.
The announcement of FacePass and Maniyaro 2026 was made from the same stage. Maniyaro is founded by Maitree Chavda and Vedant Bhavsar and is organised by Maitree Events and Communications.
From booking a ticket to entering an event — without carrying a ticket
At the launch, FacePass demonstrated its complete guest journey live before members of the media and invited guests.
A guest books a ticket online and completes a one-time face enrolment using a two-second selfie on their mobile phone. At the event, the guest simply approaches a FacePass gate, where facial verification is completed in 0.4 seconds, enabling entry in approximately four seconds.
There is no physical ticket to carry, no QR code to locate and no ticket to open at the gate.
"The idea behind FacePass is simple — make the face the ticket," said Mohit Bhalgat and Vishesh Thakkar, Founders, FacePass Entertainment Private Limited. "We are building an event-entry experience that is faster, simpler and more intelligent for both guests and organisers. With one-time enrolment, a guest can use their FacePass identity across multiple events."
Maniyaro 2026 to pioneer facial-recognition entry for large-format Navratri celebrations
As its first marquee Navratri partner, Maniyaro 2026 will become the first large-format Navratri celebration in India to operate entirely on facial-recognition-based entry, according to the organisers.
The nine-night Mandli garba celebration will begin on 11 October 2026 in Ahmedabad, with production and décor designed by HPA and an ambience envisioned to keep the celebrations going from sunset to sunrise.
Tickets for Maniyaro 2026 went live on FacePass at the conclusion of the launch demonstration.
One enrolment. Multiple events.
A key feature of FacePass is that guests enrol their face only once. Once enrolled, the same FacePass identity can be used for subsequent FacePass-powered events, eliminating the need to repeat the enrolment process for every booking.
Tickets also remain transferable. If a ticket changes hands, the new guest can simply enrol their own face and use the transferred ticket.
Real-time intelligence for event organisers
FacePass is designed not only to simplify guest entry but also to provide organisers with real-time information while an event is underway. Organisers can view gate activity, including:
- Number of guests inside the venue
- Gate-wise entry activity
- Identification of busy gates
- Crowd arrival patterns
- Real-time movement at entry points
This transforms event entry data from a post-event report into a live operational tool that can help organisers manage crowd flow and gate operations more effectively.
FacePass gates are deployed through a device-as-a-service model, allowing organisers to use the technology without upfront hardware investment.
Built with security, consent and privacy at its core
FacePass uses proprietary deep-learning models for real-time facial verification, including anti-spoofing liveness detection.
According to the company, biometric data is secured using irreversible hashing and is not stored as a raw facial image. The stored value cannot be reversed to reconstruct a face.
Guests provide explicit consent before enrolment, and their data is intended for a single purpose — enabling admission at the event. FacePass states that biometric information is not sold and is not shared with third parties for marketing purposes.
Details relating to data retention, consent and guardian-consent policies are available at facepassevents.com/privacy.
Navratri: FacePass's largest deployment to date
With Navratri being one of Gujarat's largest ticketed entertainment seasons, the 2026 festive period represents FacePass's largest deployment to date. The company is expected to power multiple events across Gujarat during Navratri, with further partner-event announcements expected in the coming weeks.
🎉 Launch Offer for Maniyaro 2026
To mark the launch, FacePass has introduced a special offer for Maniyaro 2026.
Guests can avail 26% off Early Bird ticket prices, valid for 48 hours from launch or until the first 500 tickets are sold, whichever comes first.
Book Maniyaro 2026 Tickets →About FacePass Entertainment Private Limited
FacePass Entertainment Private Limited is an Ahmedabad-based AI-powered face-recognition ticketing platform founded in 2026 by Mohit Bhalgat and Vishesh Thakkar. The platform enables approximately four-second event entry with 0.4-second face verification, replacing traditional physical tickets and QR codes with a secure facial identity credential. With its device-as-a-service model, FacePass enables organisers to deploy facial-recognition entry gates without upfront hardware investment.
One face. Infinite events.
About Maniyaro 2026
Maniyaro 2026 is a nine-night Mandli garba celebration beginning 11 October 2026 in Ahmedabad. Founded by Maitree Chavda and Vedant Bhavsar and organised by Maitree Events and Communications, Maniyaro is designed as a large-format Navratri experience combining traditional Mandli garba with immersive production, décor and an atmosphere that extends from sunset to sunrise.
Media Contact:
FacePass Entertainment Private Limited
Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Website: facepassevents.com