• History
• Places to visit
• How to reach

If you want to see the independent scene of music in India, that is far from the mainstream beats of Bollywood, then Ziro Music Festival is going to be right up your alley.  This is an outdoor music festival which is held in Arunachal Pradesh’s Ziro valley.

Music lovers have found their own little heaven here! Started in 2012 by Bobby Hano and Anup Kutty, this has become a centre for youngsters who love independent music. Right from guitarists, drummers, and main vocals, this place has a lot to offer to the music buffs. 

This 4-day festival is all about music celebrations, enthusiasm & utmost fun. Millennials can be seen enjoying fresh music performed by talented artists, some youngsters can also be seen testing their talent in independent music forms like jazz, indie, and others.

Every year in September, locals & tourists be a part of this fever called Ziro Music Festival. Apart from enjoying the soul-soothing music, you can enjoy the beauty of Ziro village in Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh as well. Also, you can indulge in different activities like fishing, sightseeing, and more.

Also Read: An incredible festival which pays tribute to the fascinating art of Indian music

History of Ziro Music Festival

The idea of Ziro Music Festival first came to Bobby Hano and Anup Kutty which finally came into existence in the year 2012. In an interview, Bobby Hano shared the motive behind organizing the festival.

Bobby Hano said that when he was promoting Delhi Band Menwhopause in the Northeast, due to political unrest, the Itanagar Concert had delayed. Then he and Anup Kutty (Guitarist of Menwhopause) spent some magical three days in the beautiful Ziro Valley of Arunachal Pradesh. They discussed an idea to do a small festival in Ziro Valley where they will invite their favourite bands. 

Also, they believe in the philosophy of oneness despite the background and music is the perfect medium to turn that philosophy into reality. So, September 14, 2012 became the day when they organized their first Ziro Music Festival.

Major Attractions of Ziro Festival of Music 2020

1. Talented Artists. National and international artists can be seen performing and entertaining the audience during Ziro Music Festival. Some of the artists who are part of this festival are Lee Ranaldo, Louw Majaw, Steve Shelley, Shaair n Func, Indus Creed, Peter Cat Recording Co, Menwhopause, Guru Rewben Mashangva, and Barmer Boys.

2. The Local Food Arrangement. If you are fond of food and always look for something new on your platter, then too, this festival is just for you. You would love to taste the local food and delicacies like pork, fried fish, roasted silkworms and much more, especially if your taste buds get aroused with non-veg food. Also, you would love to taste the local drinks of Ziro that you might not have even heard of before. 

3. Village Walk. You would enjoy exploring and getting into a conversation with the Apatani tribe who are core part of the Ziro Music Festival. Meeting them can be a great experience for you to know their perspective towards music.

4. Varieties of Rock Music. Artists are all set to help you have the time of your life with their exceptional indie rock music. You can also enjoy fresh music, Alternate Rock, indie pop-rock, jazz (smooth jazz, cool jazz, and mainstream jazz) and other instrumental performance as well.

How To Reach 

Ziro is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Arunachal Pradesh state of India. Situated in Lower Subansiri District, it leaves you awestruck with its scenic spectacle. Enriched with endless meadows, you would love to embrace the pleasant weather. Ziro is 2,304.2 km via NH2, 3,127.7 km via NH27, 13,98.5 km via NH27, 3,354.5 km via NH 44 away from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru respectively. Getting close to nature is amazing via roadways but there are several convenient ways to reach Ziro Valley.

By Air. The local airports like Likabali & Tezpur will make up for a longer route hence choosing Guwahati Airport due to its better connectivity is recommended. It is well-connected with major metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. It is located at Borjhar, thus earlier called as Borjhar Airport. Guwahati Airport is also known as Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi (freedom fighter and first CM of Assam) Airport is the main airport in the northeastern region of India. It is 26 km away from Dispur (capital of Assam), 28 km from Guwahati and 442 km away from Ziro Valley. The airport is served by renowned airline services such as AirAsia India, Air India, Alliance Air, IndiGo, Vistara etc. Once you land at the airport, you can easily get local modes of transport that are aligned to take you towards Ziro Valley.

By Road. Reaching Ziro village will be easier from Guwahati. You can take a taxi from Guwahati to Ziro that will take around 6 hours to reach the place. Apart from this, you can also take a bus from Itanagar capital of Arunachal Pradesh to reach Ziro village. The bus fare will be around Rs 100-200. If you want to go by car, you have to take NH 27 or NH 15 from Guwahati to reach Ziro village. It will take around 13 hours to reach. Also, from Itanagar to Ziro will take almost 5 hours by car via Nh15 and NH13.

By Train. The nearest railway station is Naharlagun Railway Station which takes hardly 3 hours to reach Ziro. It is situated in Papum Pare District of  Arunachal Pradesh. It was opened on April 07, 2014. The Naharlagun city is just 15 kilometres away from Itanagar Capital of Arunachal Pradesh which is famous for its Ita Fort, Gompa (consecrated by Dalai Lama). Also, it will be the best option for you to experience the breathtaking natural spectacle.

Types of Permits to Enter Arunachal Pradesh

1. Inline Permit. The citizens of India except for natives of Arunachal Pradesh will be required to register for Inline Permit to enter Arunachal Pradesh. The IP can be obtained online. Also, one can obtain offline IP from government authority of Arunachal Pradesh. The offices of Authority are in Kolkata, Delhi, Guwahati, Shillong, Tezpur, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, and Lakhimpur.

2. Protected Area Permit. This is for the foreigners in order for them to enter the territory of Arunachal Pradesh. The permit can be obtained from All Indian Missions abroad or the All Foreigners Regional Registration Officers aka FRRO at Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

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