5:30 AM to 7:30 AM
Jaswant Thada (outside Mehrangarh Fort)
Full Festival pass/ Day Pass/ RIFF dawns pass Rs. 400/-

In true Jodhpur RIFF tradition, we begin the first of our dawn concerts with the gentle, soothing voices of the Meghwal, a community from the Marwar region in Rajasthan. While the community itself is not recognised as a ‘professional’ musician community, the Meghwal are superb singers. Traditionally pit-loom weavers, the women are known for their contribution to embroidery and the textile industry, but also for the rich folklore they nurture. Their patron saint is Ram Dev ji and singing bhajans in his honour is common in their villages. They also carry a long repertoire of devotional poetry of saint poets Kabir, Ravidas, Meerabai and Gorakhnath.
In keeping with tradition, this year sister duo Dariya & Kelam from the Meghwal community begin our first dawn concert. Under the light of the rising sun on a cool, serene morning, the melodic drone of the tandura (an unusual string instrument with a very distinctive sound), the beat of the jhanjh/ manjira (small, paired-cymbals) and the rhythm of the dholak create the mood for the meditative strains of the bhajan (literally, ‘to revere, also to share’). Their rendition is followed by the exquisitely masterful Bhallu Ram and Mala Ram Meghwal. Deeply rooted in the Bhakti tradition, their bhajans are conversations with the divine that have continued to remain relevant even centuries after they were written, now brought alive by seasoned voices from the Thar.

09:45 AM to 5:00 PM
Venues throughout the Mehrangarh Museum
Museum Entry Ticket/ Full Festival pass/ Day Pass

Discover the myriad hues of the traditional dance forms of Rajasthan, reflecting its distinctive root traditions, some popular and some rare, including: Behrupiya, Garasia dance, Chari dance, Dandiya Gair and the captivating vocals of Young Langa and Manganiyar Musicians!

5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Chokelao Bagh
Full Festival pass/ Day Pass

INAYAT: A Duet for Four
Four artists and two distinct traditions come together in this amazing collaboration. Originally developed for Jodhpur RIFF 2023, INAYAT: A Duet for Four is an original collaboration that has continued to grow over the past 3 years. With the young and immensely talented Tarini Tripathi, a third generation danseuse trained under her mother Gauri Sharma Tripathi and grandmother Padma Sharma, and the mellifluous music of Sadiq Khan– one of the finest dholak players in Rajasthan, Asin Khan– recipient of the Aga Khan Music Awards and arguably the best Sindhi sarangi player of his generation, and Zakir Khan Langa– khartal player extraordinaire – together forming the celebrated Langa folk trio SAZ – creating the foundation over which the performance develops… tales of devotion, longing and valour carried in the Langa repertoire are rendered visible in gesture, expression and footwork, without once diminishing their musical integrity.
With Gauri Sharma Tripathi’s Kathak choreography responding directly to the dholak, Sindhi sarangi, khartal and the songs of the Langa community of Rajasthan, INAYAT has graced stages in Rajasthan, Mumbai and New York, making its international premiere at the prestigious Lincoln Center, this year Jodhpur RIFF 2026 presents the first look at INAYAT’s latest iteration.

This collaboration is an ongoing Jodhpur RIFF commission, developed in collaboration with ANKH, Mumbai

Brhannala
From Behrupiya to Kathak, Pava Kathakali to Kudiyattam, Jodhpur RIFF is committed to presenting unique and rigorous root performing arts traditions along with its music program.
And Jodhpur RIFF 2026 sees its first ever full-length theatre performance.
Based on an extract from the epic Mahabharat, in the thirteenth year of the Pandava’s exile Arjuna disguises himself as a woman in the house of the Kauravas – the warrior becomes a teacher of dance and music in the court of Virata. What follows is a demanding year that makes Arjuna set aside everything he has defined himself by until then.
Adishakti Theatre – one of India’s most rigorous and respected theatre companies, takes this episode of Arjuna’s life as the premise of Brhannala to explore the idea of advaita (not-two or non-dual). Through the language of movement and metaphor, the performance questions what it means to inhabit another form without losing oneself, and whether the boundaries of the self and the other are as solid as we imagine them to be. In Arjuna’s year as Brhannala, the play explores a profound enlightenment, that it is precisely in the act of becoming something else that we discover what we truly are.
Originally directed by the late Veenapani Chawla, and enacted by virtuoso Vinay Kumar, Brhannala is a one-of-a-kind confluence of theatrical depth, epic ideas and the existential dilemmas that are at the heart of what it means to be human.

7:00 PM
Dhanna Bhiyan Chhatri
Full Festival pass/ Day Pass

Legend has it that a 15th century folk deity Jasnath ji Maharaj of Bikaner, Rajasthan was actually an incarnation of Shiva, and as an infant, he would bathe in fire. Though few in number, it is in honor of this legend that the fire dance is still practiced by his followers even today. The siddha fire dance is a lively spiritual practice that requires incredible mastery of the senses. Equal parts ritual and performance and set to an elemental, continuous, trance-like music repertoire, the siddha usually takes place at the culmination of a jaagaran or all-night vigil.

7:45 PM onwards
Zenana Courtyard
Full Festival pass/ Day Pass

Mainstage opens with the mother- daughter duo Ganga & Sundar, guardians of a centuries old oral tradition of Rajwadi maand. Ganga started learning music from her mother, Sundar, when she was five. Sundar, in turn, learned from her father. Hailing from the Rao community of Pali, this mother-daughter duo is known for their enduring work in breaking gender and social norms by reclaiming their space in a male dominated folk music landscape. They are widely known for their renditions of traditional spiritual songs in their own inimitable style. Performing with them is Mohini Devi, senior vocalist from the jogi Kalbeliya tradition. Mohini ji is among the few women continuing the older Jogi musical repertoire, a tradition increasingly overshadowed by the internationally recognised kalbeliya dance form. She is known for her strikingly high-pitched voice that can match the register of the pungi, and her extensive knowledge of the Rajasthani maand.

Ashwini Bhide
Padma Shri awardee Ashwini Bhide- Deshpande is a distinguished vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli Khayal Gayaki tradition. Hailed as an exceptional talent among the “new generation of veterans” she brings both reverence and fresh insight to Hindustani music. Her oeuvre is deeply introspective, often an adventurous journey into the complex ragas distinctive to her gharana – compositions so rare and demanding that few vocalists dare to venture into them. Although firmly rooted in khayal, Ashwini ji is equally adept in lighter forms like Thumri- Dadra, Bhajans, Abhangs, and Sanskrit stutis/stotras, many of which she accompanies with compositions of her own. Her concerts are marked by thoughtful artistry, a warm stage presence, and the rare ability to make even the most intricate music deeply accessible.

Camila y Silvio
One of the most celebrated duos in contemporary Latin American folk music, Camila y Silvio have built a sonic universe firmly rooted in nature, ancestry and community. Their performances are an opportunity to witness rare instruments like the charango– a curious string instrument traditionally made from the shell of an armadillo, and the legüero– a large drum carved out of a hollowed tree trunk and covered with animal hide and fur, often alluded to as “the beating heart of the earth”. Together, they bring a warm and infectious energy to music steeped in the folklores of the zamba, chacarera and cumbia traditions of South America. Their instruments are just as rooted in the land and life of Latin America.

This is Camila y Silvio’s premiere festival appearance in India

Voginha
Cabo Verde, the small archipelago off the west coast of Africa has produced some of the most alluring music in the world. At the heart of that music is the guitar and at the heart of their guitar tradition is where you will find Voginha. Jose Carlos Silva Brito, popularly known as Voginha, grew up surrounded by the sounds of Cabo Verde – Morna, Coladeira, and other traditional forms that carry centuries of tunes and rhythms that coloured the island life. Little known beyond the archipelago and its diaspora, this is music with a rare warmth. It’s melodic, simple, incredibly groovy and deeply rooted in the stories of lives shaped by the ocean, migration and a sense of saudade or longing. At Jodhpur RIFF, Voginha brings this rare guitar sound, accompanied by a cavaquinho – another foundational instrument in Cabo Verdean music, lending the harmonic backbone beneath the guitar melody.

This is Voginha’s premiere appearance in India.

Ilham
In true sufiyana style Ilham (intuition or divine inspiration) is a unique qawaali performance, a musical coming together of many Indian traditions that share common spiritual roots. Smita Bellur is a highly accomplished female vocalist accepted into the lineage of traditional qawaals, under the tutelage of the Warsi Brothers of Hyderabad, and brings over two decades of Hindustani music training in Khayal and her expertise in sufi mystic poetry. Accompanied by SAZ – the exceptional trio from Rajasthan’s Langa community, whose own folk repertoire has carried the words of Sindhi sufi and nirguna spiritual traditions for centuries across the sands of western Rajasthan, Smita’s classical rigour and her profound understanding of sufi kalam meets the earthy sounds of Asin Khan’s Sindhi sarangi, Sadiq Khan’s dholak and Zakir Khan Langa’s harmonium, to create a robust and profound musical experience.

Midnight onwards
Salimkot
Full Festival pass/ Day Pass

Isam Elias
Pianist, composer, singer, songwriter and DJ, Isam Elias moves effortlessly between the ancient and the electronic. Isam’s solo project that he brings to Jodhpur RIFF is an Afro-Oriental set with the unmistakable emotional charge of Arab music. Isam’s music combines Arabic pop melodies, traditional Levantine dabke rhythms and powerful electronic beats, that has, over the years, earned him a reputation as one of the most inventive voices at the intersection of Arab musical tradition and contemporary club music. Expect a powerful musical journey into folkloric oriental melodies, dancehall–meets-dabkeh dance beats and groovy electronic sounds!

Midnight onwards
Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park (adjacent to lower car park of Mehrangarh Fort)
Full Festival pass/ Day Pass

Ek raat khaas lok kalakaaron ke saath…
Jodhpur RIFF presents a special Desert Lounge in the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park. An all-acoustic evening with the sounds of Rajasthan:
Opening with Idu Khan Langa, one of the finest contemporary exponents of the exquisite double flute alghoza of the Surnai Langa community of western Rajasthan. Used by pastoralists while navigating their way through sand dunes, and to lead cattle through the winter fogs of the desert back in the day, the alghoza is an extremely rare sight today, with very few who have mastered it the way Idu ji has. At Jodhpur RIFF, Idu Khan Langa brings this timeless voice of the alghoza, inviting audiences into the rich sonic world of the Thar Desert through the artistry of a musician whose life is devoted to keeping one of Rajasthan’s most distinctive musical traditions alive.
Followed by vocalist in Seraiki/ Punjabi Mir Bassu Khan, a leading light among the Mir community from Bikaner. The Mir-e-Alam are a semi-pastoral people of the Mirasi community of the Bikaner/Pugal region of Rajasthan and have a strong, beautiful musical tradition of spiritual music. They sing the poetry of Baba Farid, Baba Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain, Sultan Bahu and Khwaja Ghulam Farid in Seraiki/ Punjabi. While recent years have seen an increased interest (and research) in their music, much of it remains inaccessible and unexposed to potential audiences. The challenges of eking a daily existence have taken a toll on the cultural heritage of this community, as have numerous socio-political factors which are largely out of their control. And yet, their voices remain strong and clear.

As the music is acoustic (non-amplified) and the space is intimate, seating is on a first-come-first-serve basis. The slightest noise distracts fellow audience members and makes it hard to listen to the performers.
We would greatly appreciate it if the audience refrained from chatting and speaking during the performance or while waiting to be seated.
Please note: The meeting point for the Desert Lounge for all audiences is in the Mehrangarh Fort lower car park at 11.50 pm or at the entrance to the Rao Jodha Park at 11.55 pm. The walk to and from the performance space is approximately 10 minutes from the lower car park: first on the road to the Rao Jodha Park entrance (5 minutes) and then in the park itself (5 minutes) – so please wear decent shoes for walking!
Please carry something warm (it gets chilly); hot drinks & light snacks will be available for purchase.