Rajasthan International Folk Festival, India

Venue : Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

State/Country : Rajasthan, India

Starting Date : 12th October 2011

Ending Date : 16th October 2011

Kaalbelia, Derun, Kachhi Gaudi, Chand, Ger dancers left the crowd spell bound, with guests dancing to their tunes.

About Rajasthan International folk festival

Rajasthan International folk festival is about to start from 12 - 16th October 2011 in Jodhpur. Being India’s first annual folk festival and celebrating the regional root music and the arts, this festival is organized in order to give open platform to all the folk artist and musicians from India and overseas. Around 150 art performers from Rajasthan, India and outside, gather in the Gigantic and splendid Fort of Mehran Garh for four nights and three days of events under the brightest full moon. Rajasthan International folk festival which is also known as Jodhpur folk festival, begun in year 2007; since then, the Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF) society tries to bring together more than 250 Musicians and performing artists from every nook and corner of the world. Each year in October for five days, RIFF celebrates different musical heritages and creates new sounds through innovative collaborations of connoisseur of folk arts & music. The folk festival 2011 guarantees some of the most sizzling performances from local and international artisan. As the sun goes to embrace the horizon, divine music begin flowing through every corner of the Mehrangarh Fort making the crowd enraptured with the true spirit of Rajasthan. RIFF Jodhpur features a series of events and concerts based in and around Mehrangarh Fort. Besides, opening of the folk festival 2011 is timed to coincide with the brightest full moon of the year in north India that is called, Sharad Purnima. Voted as "Asia's Best Fortress" by Times Magazine, Mehrangarh Fort gets decorated as the beautiful bride during this Folk festival.

Performances In Rajasthan International folk festival

Jodhpur RIFF includes performances by some musician maestros from local Rajasthan communities, by showcasing sensational headline acts each night on the master stage, and sharp global dance grooves. This will surely keep the party banging till late at the Club Mehran. Interactive daytime sessions for visitors, school children and families are staged against the breathtaking backdrop of the Fort.

About Mehrangarh Fort

Located in the heart of the Jodhpur city, one of the grandest forts in India, Mehrangarh Fort is playing the great host to the Rajasthan International Folk Festival 2011. The fortress with its intricate carvings & expansive courtyards has a long history to define. The Fort, that has bred a number of great warriors, is a symbol of the glorious past and remarkable history in Rajasthani culture. With unusual traditional music of Rajasthan, and unmatched collaborations between Indian and international performers, the festival is a complete treasure of incredible talent and unique global charm. The magnificent presence of diverse genres during this weeklong Rajasthan International folk festival 2011—from vocal classical by maestro Ashwini Bhide, desi vocal beats by Jamuna Devi, Ustad Bahauddin Dagar, Sona Mohapatra, and Maand folk music by Ali Mohammed, adds the real taste of mystical music in Rajasthan and entire India, as well.

The stunning venue for the festival, Mehrangarh Fort was built five hundred years back; it peeps over the beautiful Jodhpur city from its solid rocky 400-foot high perch.  Measured preservation work has meant that its walls and interiors remain in perfect condition. Thousands of local and foreign visitors flock to the fort throughout the year to go through the history of this marvelous fort and view the Maharaja’s collection of weapons, books and manuscripts, miniature paintings, and vivid artistic masterpieces. And in the most awaited moment when the Mehrangarh Fort opens its doors to the annual Rajasthan International folk festival 2011, its courtyards, gardens and palatial rooms, are flooded with music and dance. In the festival each part or place has a different character: intimate, dramatic, peaceful or spiritual. Visitors can enjoy wandering in the chokhelao gardens, explore the ramparts, or party in the beautiful blue city Jodhpur.

Rajasthan International Folk Festival Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur

The Rajasthan International Folk Festival showcases the vitality and energy of Rajasthani culture with live performances in the stunning surroundings of Jodhpur's Mehrangarh Fort. Vocal recitals, folk mornings and dawn and sunset devotional concerts complete the performance schedule.

The huge Mehrangarh Fort stands 400 feet above the skyline of Jodhpur and is a truly breathtaking festival setting. Traditional Rajasthani folk, jazz and gypsy dance music feature on the Rajasthani International Folk Festival evening programme.