FolkTea Festival returns to Biswanath tea estate on Nov 28-29

The sixth edition of the FolkTea Festival will be held on November 28 and 29 at Hatipoti Tea Estate in Pabhoi, Biswanath district, its organisers announced on Monday. The festival bills itself as India's only open-air folk festival held inside a tea garden.

It is organised by the Nanda Talukdar Foundation together with Hatipoti Tea.

What's on

• November 28, Founders' Club Retreat: entrepreneurs and business leaders from Assam and elsewhere will meet at the estate to network and discuss the region's economic opportunities outside the usual conference room.
• Car rally: a special rally will head towards the Arunachal Pradesh border to showcase the scenery and new tourism circuits of the area.
• Gala Evening: folk music, theatre and other cultural performances.
• November 29, main festival: open to the public with free entry, featuring indigenous games and a Tanmoy Saikia Night.

Tea as Assam's calling card

The organisers want to present tea as a symbol of Assam's "soft power", not only as a crop. In their view, tea carries the state's identity, history, hospitality and landscape, as well as the culture of the communities who grow it. By putting music, storytelling and tourism together in a garden setting, they hope to give Assam tea a stronger cultural identity in India and abroad.

North Bank tourism push

The festival also aims to draw visitors to the North Bank of the Brahmaputra, particularly the northern range of Kaziranga National Park, which sits close to Biswanath. Most tourists to Kaziranga use the southern side of the river, and the north bank has been trying to build its own circuits.

Sponsors and details

According to the organisers, this year's edition is supported by Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL), Oil India Ltd (OIL), the Pollution Control Board, Assam, the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation (NEDFi) and the State Bank of India.

More details are available on the festival's website, folktea.in. The organisers have not yet released a full performer list or timings for the two days; NEInsider will add them when announced.