From the margins to the mainstream: Jodhpur RIFF’s folk music journey

For 20 years, Jodhpur RIFF has brought roots musicians from Rajasthan, India and across the world together at Mehrangarh Fort. This year, from October 22 to 26, the festival returns for its 20th edition, once again timed to Sharad Purnima.

Held under the aegis of the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, the festival brings together musicians from six continents and more than a dozen countries including Colombia, Chile, Cabo Verde, Poland, Scotland and Estonia. Several international artistes will perform in India for the first time. , in an edition shaped by two decades of exchanges, friendships and collaborations.

Rajasthan’s folk musicians remain at the heart of Jodhpur RIFF. More than 250 artistes from communities including the Manganiyar, Langa, Meghwal, Bhopa, Kalbelia, Meena and Bhil traditions will perform. The 2026 edition features Indian masters and contemporary performers such as vocalist Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande, pena player Mangka Mayanglambam, pianist-composer Merlin D’Souza, vocalist Jasleen Kaur Monga and violinist Ambi Subramaniam. Filipino-Murrawari artist DOBBY, Latin American duo Camila y Silvio, British flute and Uilleann pipe player Michael McGoldrick, and Guitare Voginha of Cabo Verde are among the international artistes making their India debut. The festival also presents The Book of Queens, alongside performances by Martha Redbone and Aaron Whitby.

Collaborations form the crux of the edition, with young Langa trio SAZ performing with Michael McGoldrick and Donald Shaw, while Martha Redbone develops a new partnership with SAZ. With concerts unfolding across Mehrangarh’s courtyards and surrounding spaces, the fort once again becomes a meeting place for roots music from Rajasthan, India and the world. Events will be staged at Jaswant Thada, Zenana Courtyard, Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park, Club Mehran, Veer Durga Das Memorial Park and Chokelao Bagh.

“Jodhpur RIFF has given Rajasthani folk artists a mainstream presence and a national and international platform. It is now the calling card for Rajasthani folk music, with each edition featuring around 200 musicians, dancers and performers from the state.

“The festival has brought artists respect and recognition, introducing both exemplary and unknown performers to audiences. We believe traditions survive through sharing and learning, which is why we consistently create collaborations featuring these artists and take them to prestigious venues across India and overseas. Jodhpur RIFF has also developed more new work with traditional musicians than any other entity. The press, invited to witness these performances, has written more about their music, names, stories and communities in the past decade than in the last 50 years. RIFF has made Rajasthani folk artists household names, leading to greater employment in mainstream society and positively impacting their livelihoods,” says Divya Bhatia, director and curator of the festival.