The community-driven festival is the largest tourist drawing event and will be held from Sep 29-Oct 2
The 9th edition of Ziro Festival of Music is back after a hiatus of two years and is all set to be held in the picturesque valley of Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh from September 29 to October 02, 2022. Ziro Valley is home to the Apatani tribe, who also host this festival.
The Ziro Festival of Music presents a wide spread of music genres from folk, rock, indie, classical and more. As always, the festival will celebrate the next big names in the independent music scene as well as the established ones from India – with a focus on acts from the northeastern region. Several international acts including the Lithuanian pop sensation Leon Somov and Dileta, and French composer Emilie Hanak’sYelliYelli will also showcase their music at the festival.
The music festival has two stages – Signature Danyi (sun) Stage and Simba Pwlo (moon) Stage, made entirely out of locally-sourced bamboo. This is inspired by the animist DanyiPwlo faith prevalent in the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. Eco-friendly and waste management practices are followed throughout, along with a no single use plastic policy.
“Ziro Festival has shown a deep commitment towards sustainable practices since they began in 2012. They have built continuously upon the eco-friendly ethos seen in their use of traditional building materials for the festival infrastructure, involvement of the community, training youth, and employment of local artisans and thus contributing to the local economy. It is also notable that they banned single-use plastic several years ago and use recycled materials in their design aesthetics,” said Mama Natung, the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Water Resources Department, Sports & Youth Affairs, Arunachal Pradesh.
Children, too, are welcome at the festival and all under-12 kids get free entry. Interactive zones, workshops and creative sessions like storytelling, dance & movement, music, sustainable art will not only keep them engaged, but adults too. The artist and workshop lineup can be accessed here: https://www.zirofestival.com/
How to get there
The journey to the Ziro Festival of Music is an adventurous one:
- The closest international airport is Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, Assam.
- The next step is to take an overnight train from Guwahati to Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh. The train leaves Guwahati at 2115 hours and reaches the stop early in the morning.
- Thereafter, it’s a 3-4 hour cab ride till the festival site.
- Don’t forget to apply for the Inner Line Permit, (or the Protected Area Permit if you are a foreigner). Arunachal Pradesh is a protected state, and everyone—including Indian citizens—need a permit to enter the state. The ILP can be applied for here.
- If you are flying in via Kolkata, the nearest airport is Lilabari. Thereafter it’s a 4-5hr car journey.
The music lineup for this year includes:
For Signature Danyi Stage:
Afghan Duo
Gwilym Rhys
For Simba Pwlo Stage:
The Prophets
Bipul Chettri & The Travelling Band
The festival partners for this year include Arunachal Pradesh’s Department of Tourism, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, British Council, District Administration of Lower Subansiri, EastMojo, Embassy of Israel, Incredible India, InstitutFrançais, Norphel Winery (Wine Partner), Signature Packaged Drinking Water (Green Partner), Simba (Beer Partner) and Sportsbet.io.
Festival App
In the beginning of September, Ziro Festival released its own app for mobile phone users. The app is available on both Android and iOS stores and is specifically focussed on attendees coming to visit Ziro Valley in Arunachal Pradesh. Ziro Festival App lists out all the artists performing at the festival, including detailed information about them, their performance times and gives users the option of creating their own schedules on their app. The app also offers guidance to attendees on all the different homestays, campsites and hotels in the vicinity as well as the activities on offer and basic facilities like locations of ATM and other useful services.
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