SHILLONG, OCT 31: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday announced the lineup for the Cherry Blossom Festival 2025, scheduled to take place at the Polo Ground on November 14 and 15.
The festival will feature a star-studded lineup of global artists, including Irish rock band The Script, R&B superstar Jason Derulo, 3-time Grammy winner DJ Diplo, pop icons Aqua, and Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi.
The festival will pay a special tribute to iconic singer Zubeen Garg on the second day, performed by musicians close to him, including Zublee, Priyanka, Prabin, and Arupjyoti.
Local talented artists such as Meba Ofilia, Dappest and adL, rock band Girish and the Chronicles, and Arius will also perform.
The festival will offer a range of activities, including the traditional Mr and Ms Cherry Blossom competition, cosplay, and Cherry Blossom arm wrestling, across multiple grounds.
Tickets are available online and at box offices in Shillong.
Addressing media persons, Chief Minister expressed his delight, saying, “I am delighted to announce the comprehensive lineup for the Cherry Blossom Festival 2025. This year’s festival promises to be a grand celebration of music, art, and culture showcasing the rich diversity of our state.”
The Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival has gained recognition, winning the Golden Banyan Award for Best Cultural Music & Dance at The Week Heritage Awards 2025 and two Gold Awards at the WOW Awards Asia 2025.
Sangma expects over 50,000 tourists to attend the festival, saying, “We are hoping that we should be able to cross 50,000 tourist in numbers… I’m talking about outside tourists, who stay the night.”
Regarding traffic concerns, Sangma said, “No traffic jam is not just today, it’s for the last 50 years we’ve seen… We will block vehicle movement zones and not allow vehicles to be plying beyond a certain point and close it for a certain period of time.”
The government has invested in infrastructure development, including parking lots, to decongest the city.
Sangma emphasized that tourism is a process and requires continuous evolution, saying, “Tourism is a process, you need to keep evolving… We feel that we are better than where we were before and things have improved and activities have gone up.”
The festival is expected to boost the local economy.
“We do expect that the tourists will come and they will roam around, go to some of the tourist locations, spend more time and that will obviously directly in indirectly benefit citizens of our state,” Sangma stated.
By Our Reporter
