Ziro Festival of Music

Ziro Festival of Music (ZFM) is an independent four-day outdoor music festival held in the Ziro Valley of Lower Subansiri district, Arunachal Pradesh. Launched in 2012 by guitarist Anup Kutty and Ziro-based curator Bobby Hano, it is widely regarded as India's most distinctive indie music festival because of its setting in working Apatani paddy fields.

The festival features Indian and international independent acts across two to four bamboo-built stages, with on-site camping in pine groves, food and craft pop-ups, and easy access to Apatani villages such as Hong, Hari, Hija and Bamin.

• Indian and international independent artists across multiple stages
• Bamboo-built stages set inside Apatani paddy fields
• On-site camping among pine groves
• Apatani food stalls, rice-beer (o) and craft pop-ups
• Day trips to Hong, Hari and Hija Apatani villages

• The country's most distinctive outdoor music festival, set in a UNESCO-tentative cultural landscape
• An unusual pairing of contemporary indie programming with Apatani village life
• Cool September weather and lush green paddies after the monsoon

The first edition was held in September 2012 with a small line-up at a private field in Ziro. It has since grown into a four-day event attended by several thousand people each year and has hosted artists such as Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Steve Shelley, Guthrie Govan, Peter Cat Recording Co., Lifafa, Parekh & Singh and a long list of Northeast Indian acts.

The festival is organised independently of the state government and is deliberately kept small in scale; ticket numbers, on-site infrastructure and stages are sized to the carrying capacity of the host fields.

• Annual dates: late September, typically a four-day Thursday–Sunday window.
• Main venue: a series of Apatani paddy fields outside Ziro town; the exact field changes year-to-year.
• Tickets, line-up and the official venue are announced on zirofestival.com a few months in advance.

Ziro Valley is the homeland of the Apatani, a Tibeto-Burman community known for their rice-fish co-cultivation, distinct village layout and the facial tattoos and nose plugs (yaping hullo) worn by the eldest generation of women. The festival is hosted on land belonging to Apatani families, and a portion of the festival's economy flows into Apatani homestays, food stalls and craft sellers.

ZFM is not a traditional or religious festival — it is a contemporary independent music event. Its significance is twofold: it has put the Apatani's UNESCO-tentative cultural landscape on a national/international map, and it has created a sustained September visitor season that supports homestays and small businesses across Ziro.

• Two to four bamboo-built outdoor stages programmed across four days.
• On-site camping among pine groves, with rentable tents.
• Apatani food stalls and bamboo-mug rice-beer (o).
• Day-trip access to Hong, Hari, Hija and Bamin Apatani villages.
• Walks through paddy-fish fields when not in festival hours.

• Air: Itanagar (Hollongi) Airport is the most convenient, followed by Lilabari (North Lakhimpur) in Assam.
• Rail: North Lakhimpur (NLP) is the closest railhead.
• Road: Ziro is a 5–7 hour drive from Itanagar / Lilabari, on a winding mountain road. Shared sumos and pre-booked taxis are the standard options.

Indian nationals require an Inner Line Permit (ILP) for Arunachal Pradesh; apply online via the e-ILP portal. Many travellers obtain the ILP through the festival's official partners.

Foreign nationals require a Protected Area Permit (PAP), which the festival regularly facilitates through a registered Arunachal operator.

Late September in Ziro is cool and lush — daytime temperatures around 18–24 °C, nights around 10–14 °C, and a high chance of intermittent rain. Pack a rain jacket, warm layers for nights, and waterproof footwear.

Options include on-site camping (rentable or own-pitched), Apatani homestays in Hong, Hari, Hija and Bija villages, and a small set of guesthouses in Hapoli (the main town). Homestays sell out months ahead; book directly with operators listed on the festival website.

• Stage photography requires a press / photo pass — apply through the festival office in advance.
• Carry rain covers for cameras; late-September showers are routine.
• Mornings in the paddy fields, with mist over the valley, are often the most rewarding shoot windows.

• Hong Village — one of the largest Apatani villages.
• Tarin Fish Farm and Apatani rice-fish paddies.
• Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (one to two day trek).
• Meghna Cave Temple and Dolo Mando viewpoint.

A curated selection of photographs from Ziro Festival of Music. All images are placeholders until license-cleared festival-specific photographs are sourced — see our photography policy.

Ziro Festival of Music is a living cultural event hosted by the Independent festival (hosted in Apatani country) community. Please attend as a respectful guest, not a spectator.

• Day 1 — Arrive Itanagar via Lilabari; visit Ita Fort and the State Museum.
• Day 2 — Long road day to Ziro Valley; settle in at an Apatani homestay in Hong or Hija.
• Day 3 — First day of the Ziro Festival of Music at the paddy-field stages; evening at the bamboo bar.
• Day 4 — Morning village walk through Hari, Bamin-Michi and Dutta — sacred groves, bamboo plantations and Apatani facial-tattoo elders; second festival day in the evening.
• Day 5 — Closing festival day; optional short hike toward Dolo-Mando viewpoint.
• Day 6 — Drive back to Itanagar / Lilabari for departure.