Arunachal’s four day Ziro Music Festival concludes today amid much fanfare

As tourists make a beeline to the picturesque Arunachal Pradesh’s Ziro valley, sounds of guitars strumming mixed with beats of drums hit the landscape as the four day Ziro music festival comes to an end.  

The most vibrant and unique Ziro music fest kickstarted from September 29 after remaining grounded for two years due to the Covid-19 induced hiatus. 

Since 2012, the festival has promoted musical talent from the region while hosting artists like Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelley, Damo Suzuki, Shye Ben Tzur, MONO, Divine, Louw Majaw, Shaa'ir n Func, Indus Creed, Peter Cat Recording Co, Menwhopause, and Barmer Boys, among others, against the backdrop of the Northeastern Himalayas in the Ziro Valley.

Apart from promoting the local musical mélange and cultural ethos, the Ziro music festival also gives a great boost to the local economy. 

Touted as one of the most eco-conscious music festivals of the country, Ziro music festival is hosted by the local Apatani tribe and strives to emulate its generations-long eco-wisdom.

The Apatani tribe has a long history of conserving forests by establishing distinct bamboo groves and mixed forests that are dominated by the local oak. Every spring, the locals gather saplings from the Ziro Valley's surrounding forest slopes and move them to these groves before using older trees for festival building.

Signature, the event's green partner, organises daily plogging activities with participants to keep the festival and its surroundings clean in an effort to replicate the tribe's sustainable habits and leave a negative trash impact. The group also regularly cleans up the river and other bodies of water close to the campsite.

As the festival comes to an end on October 2, members strive to continue to keep alive the vibe of eco-tourism in addition to preserving the local cultural character, thus respecting the long and vibrant history of the tribal community of Arunachal Pradesh and the entire Northeast as well.