RIFF Festival – Jodphur, India, October 2011

Jodhpur RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival) is India's leading international folk music festival. For five days in October each year, the festival brings together more than 150 musicians and performing artists from across Rajasthan and around the world to celebrate their musical heritage and create new sounds through innovative collaborations. Working alongside RIFF and Rajasthan CAN we have put together a package that ensures the very best festival experience including exclusive performances, private events and local speakers. The magic of the fort Timed to coincide with north India’s brightest full moon in the Hindu Vedic calendar, the festival features a series of spectacular concerts and events based in and around the majestic Mehrangarh Fort – voted “Asia's Best Fortess" by Times Traveler Magazine. Sitting high on the sheer-sided sandstone outcrop the fort towers over the beautiful blue city of Jodhpur and the sands of the Thar Desert. The forts romantic torch-lit walkways and views of twinkling streetlights fizzling into the horizon are simply spellbinding.   Music and craft Jodhpur RIFF includes performances by living legends - master musicians from Rajasthan’s artistic communities such as Langa and Manganiyar; sensational headline acts on the Main Stage and cutting-edge global dance grooves that will keep the party going late into the night at Club Mehran. During the day the festival offers interactive workshops where you will have hands-on opportunities to try out traditional musical instruments such as the bowed sarangi and the nagara drums as well as ancient crafts such as block printing jewellery lacquering and instrument design. The passage to RIFF Our tour to the RIFF Festival begins in India’s capital Delhi with a look at the origins of Indian music, then to the ‘pink city’ of Jaipur to explore the importance of music and art in everyday life, finishing in Jodhpur for the festival. Between us at OMT we’ve attended the festival 4 times and we all agree that the jaw-dropping location together with the rare spiritual and magical atmosphere makes this a very special event.  Price from £2,630 per person and includes flights in economy class, accommodation, activities, guides, festival pass and transfers as listed Your Consultant for the R I F F   F E S T I V A L , J o d p h u r  I n d i a  R a j a s t h a n trip is: M i  r a n d a	Where to Stay Samode Palace Type: Charming & Romantic Number of rooms: 42 Location: Jaipur Raas Hotel Type: Boutique Number of rooms: 39 Location: Jodhpur The Claridges Hotel Type: Contemporary Number of rooms: 137 Location: Delhi