Upcoming Music Festivals to Keep on Your Radar
Mumbai rock band Daira. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
The music festival season has stretched well into May and June this year. From up in the hills of India to music by the shore, here are a few destination events as well as those taking place in the heart of the city in the coming weeks.
Sounds of Soil
May 2 to 4, 2025
Vanvaas, The Nature Retreat, Manali
Over 20 acts are headed to the three-day Sounds of Soil festival in Manali, taking place inside an orchard area. Artists performing include Ladakh’s folk-rock act Dashugs, Tamil rockers Oorka, Chennai hitmaker Pradeep Kumar, Shillong guitar great Rudy Wallang, singer-songwriter Mahesh Raghunandan, Mumbai rock act Daira, Bengaluru prog band The Pulse Theory, Kerala act Gowwli and more. In addition to the performances, the festival promises activities like forest bathing, hiking, camping, and fishing for their debut edition.
Get tickets here.
Rage By The Bay
May 10, 2025
Bayview Lawns, Mumbai
The second edition of electronic music festival Rage By The Bay brings back a few favorites alongside rising stars behind the decks for a bay-side all-day rager. The likes of Nikhil Chinapa, Anyasa, Elektraa, Bullzeye, and Stimuli will return, with other DJ-producers on the lineup include Dev Raiyani, Sequ3l, Parallel Voices, Siren 333, and more.
Get tickets here.
Sunburn Summer Fest
May 10 (Shillong), May 11 (Bengaluru), 2025
Venues TBA, Shillong & Bengaluru
It wasn’t enough that India’s EDM calendar was already packed with star DJ-producers from around the world visiting the country. There’s now a new festival launched by electronic music mainstay Sunburn: Summer Fest, heading to Shillong and Bengaluru. Looking beyond the usual cities, Sunburn Summer Fest is bringing in EDM artists like Dimitri Vegas, Vini Vici, DubVision, Third Party, and Siana Catherine. The Shillong lineup also includes electronic artists such as Gary Daniel, Reuel Roy, Quills, and DJ Aedrian.
Get tickets here.
Riot Act
May 11, 2025
Surf Turf, Kovalam near Chennai
Chennai rock trio Skrat’s very own crew is bringing all kinds of heavy music to Kovalam beach as part of the first edition of the gig series Riot Act. The lineup includes Skrat, Thiruvananthapuram thrash metallers Chaos, multi-genre act Gowwli, rock act Mangas, and will also feature singer-songwriter Stefany Vatz making her solo big stage debut.
Get tickets here.
Sonic Tigress
May 24, 2025
Richardson & Cruddas, Mumbai
The debut edition of the all-women music festival Sonic Tigress was originally set to take place in Bengaluru earlier this year, but has since scaled up and moved to Mumbai. The festival has also enlisted an all-women crew, and even opened up its doors just for women. The lineup announced so far includes Shillong’s powerhouse blues and rock artist Tipriti Kharbangar, hip-hop group Wild Wild Women and guitar ace Niveditha Ode.
Get tickets here.
Bir Music Festival
June 14 and 15, 2025
Bir, Himachal Pradesh
Started in 2020, Bir Music Festival takes place in the village of Bir in the Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh. In the five years since, they’ve hosted 11 seasons. The upcoming 12th edition of the arts and indie music festival is yet to announce its lineup, but promises 48 hours of original music and activities ranging from yoga to sound healing to speed dating.
Get tickets here.
