The third edition of Journeying Across the Himalayas has just been announced. Hosted by Royal Enfield Social Mission, the week-long community-driven festival will run from 3rd to 9th December 2026 at Travancore Palace. Co-curated alongside Himalayan communities, artists, and cultural practitioners, the event centers on the theme of ‘Becoming’—focusing on how mountain stories, ecosystems, and living cultures are evolving within a modern world.
Tickets are available via BookMyShow.com.
What to Expect: Festival Highlights and Numbers
The 2026 lineup brings over 100 Himalayan experiences across several key categories:
- 25+ Installations & Exhibitions: Artworks, multi-sensory displays, and visual storytelling.
- 20+ Live Musical Performances: Featuring regional favorites, indie acts, and experimental collaborations.
- 20+ Culinary Experiences: Regional food showcases at the Chouka food courtyard.
- 50+ Interactive Workshops & Conversations: Talks, sketch sessions, and craft workshops.
- 45+ Himalayan Brands at the Bazaar: Curated by Puneeta Chadda Khanna, featuring 10 exclusive product launches.
- Daily Film Screenings: Curated by the Dharamshala International Film Festival through its ‘DIFF On the Road’ initiative.
Art Installations and Exhibitions
The festival features visual art and interactive installations created by artists working alongside mountain communities:
- The Unquiet Orchard by Vibha Galhotra: A comparison between documentation gathered twelve years ago and present-day practices, looking into traditional Himalayan beekeeping and modern apiculture.
- Cloudburst by Ravi Agarwal with Sukanya Deb and Soumya Yadav (Shared Ecologies / Shyama Foundation): An exploration of climate anomalies and community-based ecological knowledge from Royal Enfield Social Mission fellows.
- Pahaadi – Colour, Drawn from the Himalaya by Himanshu Shani (11:11): A natural dye installation where visitor footsteps become an integral part of completing the artwork.
- Before Time by Gautam Pandey (Riverbank Studios): A sculptural installation with a meditative film loop exploring the ancient petroglyphs of Ladakh.
- Into the Himalayas by Gautam Pandey: A Virtual Reality experience showcasing the high-altitude habitat of the Snow Leopard.
- Echoes by sā Ladakh Biennale & Royal Enfield Social Mission: Works by ‘Above 3000M’ fellowship artists exploring site-specific mountain art.
- The Gaddi Suitcase by Gunehr Sound Museum: A multi-sensory look into the nomadic lives of the Gaddi and Bhangali tribes using soundscapes, miniatures, and Kangri folk music.
- How Far Does A Home Reach? by Prolog Collective: An exhibition featuring maps, objects, and stories created by children from across the region.
- The Himalayan Fellowship Showcase: The final exhibition of the third FICA x Royal Enfield Social Mission cohort, featuring works by 10 fellows.
Music, Food, and Workshops
Live Performances
The musical lineup brings together traditional and contemporary sounds from both the Eastern and Western Himalayas:
- Taba Chake (Indie-folk from Arunachal Pradesh)
- Raman Negi (Himachali rock)
- Aabha Hanjura (Kashmiri folk-pop)
- Oddbird Foundation Partnership: The festival’s inaugural performing arts residency programme, bridging traditional Himalayan performance heritage with modern stages.
Culinary Experiences at Chouka
- MOMO: Migration, Identity & Memory In Kalimpong by Ishita Dewan
- Assam Tea Tasting by Dona Aiedeau
- A Taste of the Himalayas with Sikkim’s Temi Tea
- A Living Bridge of Flavours by Rynsan Shillong, led by Hammarsing L Kharhmar
- Beyond Meat (Naga cuisine) by Chef Aketoli Zhimomi
- The Community Thali Project featuring interactive Himachali spreads
Hands-on Workshops
- Manga Sketching: Led by Aparna Chaurasia (Stories We Carry).
- Everyday Craft Design: Led by Anuj Sharma (Button Masala).
Looking Back: 2025 Edition Snapshot
The 2025 edition brought together over 11,000 visitors and 50+ Himalayan communities. Highlights included a light-and-fabric recreation of Meghalaya’s living root bridges, a live Sand Mandala created by monks from Dharamshala’s Namgyal Monastery, and a collaborative stage performance featuring Northeast music figures Lou Majaw, Rudy Wallang, and Joi Barua.
