When walking along the streets of Kathmandu, I went through a side street and saw that some people were walking in another side street, so I followed. It was something I didn’t expect, hundreds of people and a stage. I was part of the festival of music.
What is it for a festival?
It is from the organizers Echoes in the valley and it is happening every year in Nepal. I will just quote what the organizers write on their website:
,,Echoes in the Valley (EITV) Festival of Folk Music was established in 2017 with the goal to bring together a vast range of folk, traditional and indigenous sounds from Nepal and around the world. The festival is the only free international event in Nepal to celebrate folk tunes and the heritages and cultures that are tied to the ecosystem of the music. EITV is more than just a festival. It is a movement. The festival takes place once a year, but we support Nepali musicians and Nepal’s music year-round. We understand both the fragility and strength of the ecosystem of music-making. We know that organizing a festival is one aspect of a much larger picture. This is why we spend our energies at strengthening the musical culture, education, resources, artists and behind-the-scenes players that make up what we know as the musical scene of Nepal.”
It is usually happening around the 20th of March, but better check it before. It seems to go along with the holi festival on the 24th of March. The last few years it happened in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, but also, when checking their website, it happened in other parts of Nepal in the past. I assume, the next few years it will continue in Kathmandu.
How is the festival?
When not knowing about it, you will just not find it easily. I wasn’t able to hear it from the main street and was just visiting it by luck. I was there when a traditional dance from Nepal was being performed. After the dance there was some folk music from Eastern Europe. Just international artists and the people loved it.
Hundreds of people were standing around and filming the scene. I enjoyed watching it a lot and felt like experiencing something special.
Traditional dances and music from different cultures around the globe, something very special. The best of course, it is for free!
All people were looking very happy and also traditional food was able to be purchased there. I took care of my belongings because it was quite crowded, still I think that it would have been fine to not do it like that.
For who would be the festival something?
In general for people who like to listen to folk and/or traditional music and who is not having a huge issue with many people around themselves. People who always want to do sightseeing for free is something worth seeing.
I guess it could be good for just everyone to see, because it is a free festival in the center of the capital city in Nepal, if you don’t like it at the end you can just walk away.
This should just be a little reminder, March 2025 if nothing is planned yet and wanted to travel to Nepal anyway. The festival of Music in Nepal.
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