Hornbill Music Festival kicks off from today

The 24th edition of the Hornbill Music Festival beginning on December 1 has announced a line-up of artists for this year, drawn from a list of various countries, including the Indian sub-continent. They will perform to a crowd of more than 2 lakh attendees over the 10 days of the music festival, according to a statement by the organisers. (Also read | Women and music festivals: A song for safety)

Hornbill Festival started in the year 2000 under the aegis of the then Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who is also the current Chief Minister, and has been one of the largest cultural festivals hosted in the North East. Over 100+ separate events and activities dot the city of Kohima and the surrounding villages and visitors, tourists, adventurers, and music lovers are treated to a wide-ranging display of art and culture, dance, and festivities. Traditional food and lifestyle are also showcased. All the 17 major tribes come together to make Hornbill the mother of all cultural festivals in India.

The Hornbill Music Festival brings an exciting array of artists, musicians and bands to the main stage at Kisama, at the Naga Heritage Village. Every evening, the concerts will kick off at 5 pm and go on until 9.30 pm. The concerts are free for everyone who visits the Naga Heritage Village.

Last year, the festival drew nearly 1.5 lakh visitors. The programming at the festival does not strictly follow any one genre and there is something for everyone.

It contains Hip Hop nights, rock and heavy rock bands, jazz and funk bands, folk bands, pop, and retro bands, among other genres. This is probably the only festival in India which does not call out a headliner act and strives to use the festival to make people hear lots of young India acts and Naga bands.

“We are very excited to present to you the 40+ all Headliner Bands for the 24th edition of the Toyota Hornbill Music Festival. This year we are hosting a total of 800+ artists from India, USA, Germany, Colombia & South Korea, besides our artists from Nagaland who will take to the stage.” said Theja Meru, the Chairman of Task Force for Music & Arts (TaFMA), the body that hosts Hornbill Music Festival.

Meru said they have consciously worked to have a healthy mix of female acts or bands to be more inclusive in their choices of artists and bands. “In all there are around 12 female fronted or led bands. These numbers do not include the artists who are performing for the opening and closing ceremony of the Hornbill Festival,” said Meru.

Some of the artists who will feature in the festival this year include Grammy Winner Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt & Nagaland Ensemble, Elm Tree Circle from Germany, Los Rolling Ruanas of Colombia and Larry Yazzie (US), among others.