Some of these pictures may take your breath away.
Festival Sherpa is all about making lesser known festivals known to you, but in our search for the underrated festivals, we came across a lot of untarnished and truthfully, spectacular ground where festivals should be held. From hilltops to beaches to deserts, here’s a sort of compendium of the most breathtaking and very much underrated destinations in India that would be ideal for music/cultural festivals.
1. Pondicherry, Puducherry
We all know Pondicherry as a relatively common holiday destination, but with the right music, the beaches of Pondicherry could be host to a downright blissful gathering for a festival. With Pondicherry’s ethnicity and culture, which will only alleviate the experience, this would be the ideal festival destination for the winter.
2. Osian, Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Osian, a small village in Jodhpur, Rajasthan is rich with historical architecture. For destination oriented festivals like Magnetic Fileds, which takes place in Alsisar Mahal, Osian proves itself absolutely perfect.
3. Daman, Daman & Diu
Daman, deemed an attractive tourist spot for its cheap alcohol, is more than just a beer binging destination (although we totally support the beer binging, binge away!). Daman consists of several picturesque villages and beaches such as the Devka and Jampore beaches. Daman is an absolutely untapped music festival location, and for a festival organizer, the low alcohol prices can’t hurt.
4. Haflong, Assam
Haflong, Assam’s only and undeniably beautiful hill station, is known for its cool climate and local liquor. And not to mention the famous north-east Indian pork. A place of nature and quiescent, this is the perfect place for a soul-searching festival with soothing music and maybe some yoga (?). The possibilities are endless.
5. Munnar, Idukki, Kerala
Munnar, a hill station 1,600 meters above sea level is an otherworldly getaway from the summer heat. Known to have the largest tea plantations and refreshingly bone-chilling weather, this hill station could host the perfect psychadelic/trance hilltop festival.
6. Yercaud, Tamil Nadu
Yercaud is a small group of hills about 25 kilometres away from Salem. More understated and even less pricier than an Ooty or Kodaikanal, Yercaud is a land of simplicities. With forested slopes as the backdrop, this would make a phenomenal festival location.
7. Alleppey, Kerala
Alleppey, or Alappuzha, situated 62 kilometres south of Kochi is the sixth largest city in Kerala. Known for its brilliant Backwaters, the main tourist attraction of the city, Alleppey would be indisputably ideal for a cruise festival.
8. Havelock Island, Adaman Islands
Havelock Island, named after a British general who served India, is a traveller’s paradise. With honest-to-God blue water and white sand, it was titled the ‘Best Beach in Asia‘ by Time (2004). An exceptional spot for a beach festival, Havelock Island is pretty much untapped, in spite of being a major tourist attraction.
9. Jowai, Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya
Jowai, an exotic town surrounded by the beautiful waters of river Myntdu on three sides, is as scenic as it is rich with culture. A perfect location for a folk-esque music festival, Jowai comes with a promise of oblivion to the rest of the world.
10. Kuldhara, Rajasthan
Kuldhara, an abandoned village that lies about 15 kilometres west of Jaisalmer, has not been inhabited since the 1800s, giving reason for its popular nickname, “The Ghost Town“. The people of Kuldhara are said to have vanished into thin air one night centuries ago. The town, which now comprises of hauntingly beautiful ruined structures, would make an eerily enigmatic spot for a music festival.
Here’s to hoping that organizers take the hint and give the people what they want. Do check out The Sherp’s list of some of the trippiest hilltop festivals in India.
Also, we are aware that some of the places mentioned above may hold traditional/cultural festivals that are lesser or not at all known to even people who tour or visit them. We, at Festival Sherpa, wish to present to you an unconventional amalgamation of potential venues for festivals that would essentially bring people to that place to celebrate the spectacular environment there. When we say untapped, we do not mean that the said location holds no festivities, we talk about the fact that they haven’t been explored nearly as much as the typical destinations for music/arts/cultural festivals have. That’s all, folks!