For the musical wanderer, Sean Sequeira lists the best destinations for music festivals in the country
Wanderlust forces us to go to places we have never been before, while music has the ability to vibrate the very core of our being by touching our soul. Combine the two and the experience could be a once-in-a-lifetime event. That is exactly what we aim for by lining up the best music destinations to travel for in the coming months.
Escape, as its name suggests, is a getaway from the mundane life. It encapsulates outdoor arts and music in one picturesque resort, bordered by the foothills of the Himalayas and a beautiful lake. The festival hopes to ignore age, class and economic restrictions by bringing like-minded people together for the love of music and nature.
When: 24-26 May
Where: The Lake Resort, Naukuchiatal, Uttarakhand
Tickets: Season ticket at Rs. 2,500 for a three-day festival access.
Food/drink: Food and drink options available at the venue under Rs. 200.
Stay options: Free campsite accommodation available at the venue. Hotels and resorts around the venue at Naukuchiatal (KMVN Tourist Resthouse) and Bhimtal (Hotel Maya Regency, Moksha Retreat) are priced upwards of Rs. 1,200 per night.
Nearest airport: Pantnagar
Nearest railway: Kathgoda
Attractions: Past festivals featured artists like Skinny Alley, Nasya, Menwhopause, Indigo Children, Scribe, Dualist Inquiry, Ox7gen and Bhayanak Maut.
The goMAD Festival is a three day extravaganza of music, art and dance. The festival is spread over 44 acres of land near a forest-clad mountain range which gives it space for a bar in the woods, paintball arena, food stalls and flea market.
When: TBA
Where: Ooty Fernhill Palace
Tickets: Full festival pass – Rs. 2,450. Single day pass – Rs. 1,500
Food/drink: Stalls at the venue selling fast food, all priced under Rs. 200 (including beer).
Stay options: Palace Package at Rs. 75,000 for two – Fernhill Palace suite with stay, meals, pick up and drop for 3 nights/4 days, including festival pass. Backpackers Pack at Rs.6,500 – 3-day bed and breakfast dormitory package with shared toilets and festival pass.
Camp Package at Rs. 10,000 for two – camp style two-person tent accommodation with portable toilets and bath, drinking water, power supply and festival pass.
Family Campout Package at Rs. 12,500 for four – similar facilities as the Camp Package for four people.
Nearest airport: Coimbatore
Nearest railway: Udhagamandalam
Attractions: Artists to perform include Agnee, Pentagram, Blues Conscience, Blek, Indigo Children, Junkyard Groove, Sky Rabbit and Bombay Bassment.
Bacardi NH7 Weekender has become one of the most popular music destinations in the country over the last few years with six stages and multiple genres. The last edition spread to New Delhi and Bangalore from its usual hub at Pune to give music lovers more opportunities to fulfil their cravings.
When: October (tentative)
Where (past locations): Amanora Park, Pune Buddh International Circuit, Delhi NCR Embassy International Riding School, Bangalore
Tickets: TBA. Last year’s prices – Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 3,000
Food/drink: Stalls present at the venue.
Stay options: Bel Air Service Apartments, Pune – Rs. 2,300 a night
Formule 1, Greater Noida – Rs. 2,000 a night
Shreyas Residency Hotel, Bangalore – Rs. 3,000 a night
Nearest airport(s): Pune
New Delhi
Bangalore
Nearest railway(s): Pune
New Delhi
Bangalore
Attractions: Previous festivals have included Megadeth, Anoushka Shankar, Periphery, Indus Creed, Parikrama, Zero, Fink, Raghu Dixit, Blackstratblues, Shaa’ir + Func, Soulmate, Karnivool, Kailasa and Spud In The Box.
Sunburn has made a name for itself as being one of Asia’s best dance festivals over the past years. The festival is consistently ranked among the top 10 music festivals of the world because of the location, atmosphere and quality of music that is produced by national and international artists every year.
When: End of December
Where: Candolim beach, Goa
Tickets: TBA. Last year’s prices – General at Rs. 6,900 and VIP at Rs. 11,500
Food/drink: Food and drink stalls are present at the venue. Besides, there are plenty of other food options available around the venue.
Stay options: There are no on-location stay options. Hotels around the venue are priced at Rs.1,500 and upwards per night.
Nearest airport: Dabolim
Nearest railway: Madgaon
Attractions: Past performers include Sander van Doorn, Fedde le Grande, Paul van Dyk, Roger Sanchez, Dirty Vegas, Hilight Tribe, Funagenda, Anish Sood and Pearl.
Storm Festival is pitched as India’s most authentic camp-out music festival. Offering tent accommodations in the hill station of Coorg, Storm is a music and nature lover’s best option in the
country.
When: 1, 2 February 2013. Future dates to be announced.
Where: Napoklu, Coorg, Karnataka
Tickets: Full festival plus stay – Rs. 3,950 Single day – Rs. 1,750
Food/drink: Outside food and drinks not permitted. Food stalls and options available at the festival venue.
Stay options: Camp-style tent accommodations at venue available with tickets. Hotel and home stay options around the venue from Rs. 1,500 upwards.
Nearest airport: Mysore
Nearest railway: Mysore
Attractions: Past performers include Indian Ocean, Shankar Mahadevan, Dash Berlin, Michael Woods, Nikhil Chinapa, Raghu Dixit, Swarathma, Advaita and Karsh Kale Collectiv.
Ragasthan is an amalgamation of music and culture in the middle of the desert at Jaisalmer. This music festival has three stages – Morio for pop and rock music, Olun for world music and Ammara, the stage for electronic music. They also aim to promote the culture of Rajasthan and boost local tourism with activities during the course of the festival.
When: TBA, tentative dates at the end of the year
Where: Kanoi Dunes, Jaisalmer
Tickets: TBA. Last year’s price – Rs. 4,000 for festival pass
Food/drink: Free tea provided. Three restaurants dedicated to Rajasthani food, barbeques and multi-cuisine. Other food stalls for Rajasthani snacks, biryani, rolls, sandwiches and more.
Stay options: BYOT – Bring Your Own Tent at Rs. 7,500 for a person with three-day festival pass. A 12 x 12 feet space provided for tent space and also includes toilet facilities, access to after parties, late night movie screenings and locker access for belongings.
Swiss Tent – accommodation for 2, 3 and 4 people at Rs. 26,000 in a comfortable tent with bedroom, veranda, private loo, festival pass, access to after parties and interaction with musicians.
Nearest airport: Jodhpur
Nearest railway: Jaisalmer
Attractions: Last year’s performers included Blakc, Parikrama, Brahma, Sky Rabbit, Family Cheese and Them Clones
Volume 2 Issue 11
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