Aug
Prime Feature
Jodhpur RIFF Turns 20 With A Global Celebration Of Roots Music At Mehrangarh Fort
Mumbai, 31st August 2026: Jodhpur RIFF returns to Mehrangarh Fort from October 22 to 26, 2026, marking its 20th anniversary with an expansive celebration of roots music, cultural exchange and musical discovery. Timed to Sharad Purnima, the festival brings artists from across six continents to Jodhpur, alongside more than 250 folk musicians from Rajasthan and other Indian communities. Over two decades, Jodhpur RIFF has developed a distinctive musical ecosystem where traditions meet contemporary expression, creating collaborations that often begin with little more than a shared love for music.
The anniversary edition brings several artists to India for the first time, including ARIA Award-winning Filipino-Murrawari musician DOBBY, Latin American folk duo Camila y Silvio, Scottish multi-instrumentalist Michael McGoldrick, Cabo Verdean guitarist Voginha, and Printz Board’s Butter Funk Family. The lineup also features Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby, whose work draws from Appalachian roots, gospel, blues and Indigenous traditions. Adding another layer to the programme is The Book of Queens, an India premiere featuring Smita Bellur and Rajasthani kamaicha maestro Kode Khan Manganiyar.
On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of Jodhpur RIFF, Chief Patron HH Maharaja Gajsingh II of Marwar-Jodhpur said, “Jodhpur RIFF now sits strongly in our cultural landscape. Because of it, I have seen our Rajasthani folk artists receive worldwide acclaim as they present what they have inherited and mastered and also shine bright in unique music collaborations at the festival, which continues its essential function as a superb stepping stone, a bridge. And where our performers meet the world as they find their place in the modern music ecosystem. Here, the universal language of music resonates and is lovingly shared, relationships and networks are built, and revival and innovation are nourished.”
“Rajasthan’s artists have always been this festival’s lodestone – that hasn’t changed in twenty years”, said Mr. Divya Bhatia, Festival Director. “What we have built painstakingly at Jodhpur RIFF, with international, Indian and Rajasthani artists, is a platform, an equal playing field and much more. It is an environment where, on the one hand, Rajasthani artists can reframe the state’s greatest folk traditions for today’s audiences, at times pioneering a new medium, and, on the other hand, the finest roots performers from across Rajasthan, India and the world can dialogue with each other and collaborate to build something entirely new for the performing arts”.
At the heart of Jodhpur RIFF, however, remains India’s rich folk heritage. Artists from Manganiyar, Langa, Meghwal, Bhopa, Kalbelia, Meena and Bhil communities continue to shape the festival’s musical identity. The 2026 programme extends that dialogue through collaborations involving musicians from Scotland, Finland, Colombia, Poland and beyond. From Emilia Lajunen’s fiddle meeting Asin Khan Langa’s Sindhi sarangi to partnerships developed through Celtic Connections and Lincoln Center, the festival continues to create musical encounters rooted in curiosity, exchange and long-standing relationships.
Beyond its performances, Jodhpur RIFF 2026 transforms Mehrangarh and its surrounding spaces into a living landscape of music, with sunrise and moonrise concerts, workshops, residencies and late-night performances unfolding across the festival. The programme also introduces Brhannala, an Adishakti Theatre production, marking the festival’s first step into spoken theatre. As Jodhpur RIFF enters its third decade, its purpose remains rooted in supporting traditional music while allowing it to evolve through new artistic conversations. In that sense, its 20th anniversary is not simply a celebration of the past, but a look towards the next generation of roots music.
