The Ziro music festival at 15: Arunachal’s loudest weekend grows up

The Ziro Festival of Music, held in the terraced heart of the Apatani valley, marks 15 years with its largest line-up yet — and a sustainability charter governing waste, water and the valley’s fragile fields.

The festival has grown from a campfire gathering to one of Asia’s best-loved indie festivals, filling village homestays and hotel rooms as far as Itanagar.

Its founders are managing the success carefully: ‘The festival must earn its place in the valley, every single year.’