Upcoming Festivals of Northeast India

FAIRS & FESTIVALS

The Northeastern part of the country is well known for its vibrant culture and traditions. It is natural that this part of the country hosts some of the most popular events of the country. While some of them are aimed at showcasing the local traditions and culture, some others are aimed at having a great time in lush green meadows. At the very start of autumn, we have compiled a list of a few upcoming outdoor festivals of Northeast India.

Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival

The flowering of the pink Cherry Blossom trees adds a different level of beauty to the naturally beautiful green valleys of Shillong. Come the autumn season, and the Rock Capital of India gears up for one of its most extravagant celebrations.

The battle of bands during the day and the live concerts after sundown are by far the most popular parts of the event. Local, national and international artists and bands take part in this event and showcase their talents to mesmerize the visitors.

But the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival is not only about music. A literary festival also takes place during these days. This event allows participants and visitors from all walks of life to meet their favourite poets, writers and authors. Many creative works are also released during this event.

Showcasing of traditional costumes, food, beverages and collectables are also part of the celebrations. Tourists and visitors can always try these out and buy if found necessary. After all, a good souvenir is the best kind of memory of a trip.

Dates: This year's Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival will be from November 17 to 26. The festival will kick off with a Mega Music Festival, followed by the Literary Festival and finally the main celebrations.

Venue: Shillong, Meghalaya.

Tickets/ Passes: Available online at www.shillongcherryblossom.com

Accessibility: There is a small airport in Umroi near Shillong. Visitors can also land in Guwahati and drive to the hill station which is around 100 kms away.

Accommodation: Ample number of hotels and resorts are available across the city. But visitors should book ahead of the trip to avoid last-minute blues.

Hornbill Festival

Nagaland had a very negative image in the eyes of the people from outside of Northeast India till a few years back. And the Hornbill Festival was created with the aim to change that. Created under the partnership of the state government and India Tourism, this is the best time to visit the state.

The Kisama Heritage Village, 12km from Kohima on the National Highway no. 39, has been created with the sole purpose of showcasing the culture and traditions of the Naga people. Each of the major tribes of the state has its own huts wherein they show their unique architecture as well cuisine. Each tribe has their own dress, dance and music which they showcase during the event days. Indigenous food and local beverages are up for tasting and sale in these huts.

A central amphitheatre is where all the music and dance shows happen. So one can grab a traditional drink served in a bamboo tumbler while enjoying the music and dance.

Dates: The dates for the Hornbill Festival are fixed. It takes place every year from December 1 -10.

Venue: Kisama Heritage Village, located around 12 km away from the state capital of Kohima.

Tickets/ Passes: Available in the venue.

Accessibility: There is a small airport in Dimapur, but people usually prefer to fly to Guwahati. Travellers can take a train to Dimapur and drive around 70 kms. Most tourists however prefer the 350 km long road trip to reach the event grounds. Share taxis are available round the hour from Kohima to the event ground, around 12 km away.

Accommodation: A large number of campsites come up in the vicinity of the heritage village during the event days. Also, a large number of localities open up homestay options during the festival days where visitors can try out local cuisines as well. But the nearest hotels are located in Kohima and they are the first to be filled.

Majuli Music Festival

Majuli, the largest river island in this part of the world, is home to one of the best indie music festivals in the region. The usually calm and serene island comprising of simple Assamese people comes to life during the days of Raas and Majuli Music Festival.

This event receives both artists and visitors from different places across the globe. Majuli being the hub of the Satra culture of the state, gets a huge number of foreign tourists. Tourists can visit the satras, try out exotic local cuisine with the Mishing locals and enjoy the music events in the open fields.

This year's Majuli Music Festival will take place just after the Raas celebrations which will be held from November 21 to 24. So tourists can attend both events in a single trip itself.

Dates: Majuli Music Festival will be held from November 25 to 27 this year.

Venue: Jengraimukh in Majuli is the venue for this event.

Tickets/ Passes: Available at the venue.

Accessibility: The nearest airport and railway station is Jorhat in Assam. From there one needs to take a ferry to cross the majestic Brahmaputra to reach Kamalabari ghat in Majuli. And from there the event ground is around 30 km away. One can also take the longer roadway to the venue via Lakhimpur, in case the person is not comfortable taking the ferry ride.

Accommodation: Tented accommodations are set up near the event location during the days of the festivals. But the good resorts and hotels are located about 25 km away near Garmur Chariali.

Dambuk Orange Festival

Originally created to promote locally cultivated oranges, Dambuk has now grown to be one of major outdoor events in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Camping, trekking, hiking, music and motorsports are some of the key attractions of the Dambuk Music Festival. This festival allows you to travel and explore the beautiful landscape during the day. At the festival ground, everyone settles down for some local cuisine and beverages after sundown with the live performance of various bands.

But the most important part of the event is to try out the locally grown oranges. Travellers to the event are known to buy loads of this fruit and bring them home for their friends and family.

Dates: Dambuk Orange Festival will be held from December 15 to 18 this year.

Venue: Dambuk in Lower Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh is the venue for this event.

Tickets/ Passes: Available online.

Accessibility: The nearest airport is Dibrugarh in Assam and about 185 km from the event location. However, travellers usually prefer to take the roadway via Lakhimpur and enjoy the varied landscape.

Accommodation: Tented accommodations are set up near the event location during the days of the festivals. A few homestays are also available nearby.

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