Saturday, 26 May 2012

Hornbill Rock Festival- Rock On! Nagaland


Nagaland is known for its tribes and natural beauty. The people of the state are known for their love of music. No festival is complete without a song and dance performance. It is not surprising that the state holds the longest running rock festival of the country. The Hornbill Rock Festival is an event that is held over a period of seven days along with several others.   
                                                      
The rock festival is an attempt to encourage new and emerging rock bands from all over the country.  Friendly competition among youngsters has been a tradition of the state. Auditions are held in November in Kohima, the state capital. Over the years, the number of bands auditioning for a chance to perform at the festival has gone up considerably.

The cash prize of Rs.15,00,000 is the highest given in the country. It is sponsored by reputed companies. Members of the band are also given individual prizes in cash and kind. The festival is organised by Music Task Force of the Department of Youth Resources and Sports. The event is managed by XL.

Some bands that have performed in the festival are Original Fire Factor (OFF), Cadence, Alice in Wonderland and others. Original Fire Factor is a local band and has won the competition once. 

Some bands from Bengaluru, New Delhi and others have also won.  Alobo Naga and the band is one of the several bands that perform regularly at the competition. The band gained international recognition with the song ‘Painted Dreams’, which was included in the VH 1 world countdown.

The event is based on international rock festivals like Download festival and Ozzfest. The organisers and officials hope that the popularity of the festival will pave the way for it to go international in a few years.

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