Ziro is a beautiful town in Arunachal Pradesh, about 5,500 feet above sea level, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Ziro is home to the animist Apatani tribe, and the perfect location for the Ziro Music Festival. Bobby Hano and Anup Kutty, a guitarist for the band Menwhopause, established the first four-day festival in 2012. Since then, the festival has grown and become an event that attracts independent musicians and crowds from across the country. The festival goes beyond music, and the day-long events showcase aspects of local culture, which is fantastic.
Most Indians are unfamiliar with North East India, but festivals like the Ziro Music Festival help bridge the cultural gap between the region and the rest of the country. The organizers of the festival insist on eco-friendly policies. One, they restrict daily attendance to 10,000 people, ensuring that the amount of garbage left behind is manageable and can be cleaned easily. Two, they do not allow plastic to enter the site. Three, a close examination of the stage demonstrates the eco-friendliness of the construction. Nowadays, organizers do not allow you to carry cameras, video cameras, or GoPros onto the site, so you will need to rely on your mobile phone. Carry an external battery pack, and if you have a modern phone that can shoot well in low light, it is even better for you!Also, remember that Ziro is in North-East India, where the sun sets early and rises even earlier. While the sun sets in Delhi after 6:30 pm in September, it is dark before 6 pm in Ziro. While we laud the emphasis on being eco-friendly and the focus on encouraging the independent music scene in India, nothing compares to the absolute joy of listening to music in the open air, surrounded by the rolling hills of Ziro. We arrived in Itanagar, Arunachal’s capital, and then drove four hours to Ziro. Our hotel, Hotel Anne, is a small establishment. Still, it boasts a beautiful running veranda, which afforded us the rare luxury of sitting out in the morning, admiring the hills and blue skies while sipping our morning cup of tea. Neither of us could remember the last time we sat out in our balconies in Delhi-NCR, sipping our tea without worrying about the pollution. Nature’s spirit pervades your soul in Ziro, lifting and energizing every aspect of your being. On the flip side, the sun is intense during the day. We recommend light clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, waterproof walking shoes (for the grounds), and an umbrella for the sun and possible rain. On our first morning, we drove to the Pinewood Café (we walked up the hill for the last 250 metres), ate our lunch while admiring the gorgeous sweep of the valley. Ziro is not vegetarian-friendly – they primarily consume chicken and pork – and we had to skip the highly recommended Apatani Kitchen. One of our group members is a vegetarian, and he was not keen on eating boiled spinach and rice. If you do order chicken, they offer you a choice between broiler and local chicken. Eat the local chicken – the flavour and texture of the meat is rich, unlike the poor taste of broiler chicken. One of the musical heroes of Assam and Northeast India is Zubeen Garg, who passed away tragically. He was to have performed at the festival, and we consider ourselves the poorer for missing the opportunity to see him perform live. In the 2025 edition of the ZFM, performances take place across three stages – one for morning performances, one for evening performances, and a third for midnight electronic music performances.
The Ziro Music Festival opened our eyes to the vibrant, pulsating music scene in India. Apart from well-known singers like Shilpa Rao, many others set Ziro on fire with their brilliant performances. We had not heard of performers like ChowRaasta, Rudy Wallang, Da Minot, Uniyal, and were somewhat unfamiliar with the Barmer Boys, Guitar Prasanna, and Baawra Live. The festival organizers give pride of place to musicians from the North-East, and there were some outstanding performances by bands and performers like Niil (from Assam), Waara (Tripura), Remi Remi (Arunachal Pradesh), the Dreamcatchers (Sikkim), Chorun Mughli (Arunachal Pradesh), Pink Eye (Nagaland), etc.Then, of course, there were musicians from other parts of the country, such as Signal W (Goa), Swarathma (Bengaluru), Susmita Das (Odisha), and Pandit Abhay Rustom Sapori (Delhi).Yet, when these diverse musicians and groups performed for us, it was beautiful to see people from across the country swaying and dancing to the music. Truly, music knows no boundaries, and for those four days, music united people from all over India. Music across genres and different parts of the country blended to create magic. We also had a few international artistes in the 2025 edition of the Ziro Music Festival – Ford Trio (Thailand), Kin’gongolaKin’gongola Kiniata (Congo), Soumik Datta & the Travellers (UK), Anna Erhard (Switzerland), etc., joined Indian musicians and bands to add to the diversity of music we could listen to and enjoy. The music didn’t end with the performances. The midnight electronic music performances were outstanding, and the festival concluded with an exceptional live electronic performance from Dualist Inquiry, recorded in Goa. Considering the wilderness in which the performances took place, you must pause to admire the technical expertise of the organizers in organizing a flawless performance from Goa!
In the cities, we often forget to look up, and when we do, all we see is the smoggy sky. In Ziro, if you get tired of standing or sitting, lie down on the hillside and look up at the star-studded heavens above. You will not forget the experience of feeling the cool breeze and lying under the stars as the music washes over you. The party doesn’t end with the performances. If you wish to enjoy the festivities through the night, you can join the many after-parties happening in small venues surrounding the main festival arena. In the festival grounds, you will get enough food and drinks! Budweiser and Signature whisky were the main sponsors of the current (2025) edition of the ZFM, and the grounds were never dry. Those who wished to explore the local brew and food could do so at the many stalls inside the arena. Of course, you could get food at the many temporary stalls and restaurants outside the arena. Apart from the food and drink stalls, the organizers set up a souvenir stall, and many local artisans displayed their artwork, pottery, costumes, and other items for sale. One of the most popular stalls was the glitter makeup stall, and many young women walked around with glitter on their faces and hair!The 2025 edition of the Ziro Music Festival paid tribute to the local culture of the region. There were, of course, yoga classes. Apart from yoga, there were local storytelling sessions, Apatani folklore, origami sessions, and a session on making the Apatani paddy flutes (organized by Toyota).Toyota was another main sponsor of the event, and their initiative in organizing numerous cultural workshops was impressive – including stargazing, wood sculpture, and handweaving with natural fibers, among others. In fact, Toyota organized and conducted practically every cultural workshop and demonstration.
We had not attended the Ziro Music Festival before, and the combination of music, a focus on sustainability, cultural workshops, and a commitment to promoting regional and independent artists just blew us away. Time was tight on this trip, yet we took our time to visit the two lakes in the town, and walk around Hong Village, one of the largest in Asia. We also sampled the local food and drinks. On the way out, we drove up the hill to the Sri Siddeshwar Temple, with the tallest natural Shivling in the world.
If you are visiting Ziro, consider staying a few extra days to explore the surrounding countryside. We promise you will not regret the decision to stay back and explore the area!If you want a complete experience – nature, music, sustainability, building bridges, and local culture – then you must attend the Ziro Music Festival at least once in your life. We can promise you that the festival will leave you with memories you will not forget.
