MUMBAI: The happiest music festival turns 10 this year. BACARDI NH7 Weekender, conceptualised by OML, is around the corner - with the Meghalaya edition on 1-2 November and Pune from 29 Nov - 1 Dec, and a thrilling lineup await fans in both cities with artists like Opeth, Nick Murphy fka Chet Faker, Kodaline in Pune and Marty Friedman, Karnivool, TesseracT among many others in Meghalaya. On board for this year as partners are Gaana, 5 Star, Tinder and Radio Mirchi.
This edition will mark 10 years since BACARDI came on board as the title sponsor, right from the festival’s inception in 2010.
“Ten years ago, BACARDÍ’s passion for music and our inherent legacy of creating immersive experiences, led to a creative partnership with OML, giving India one of its first music festivals ever - BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender. Fondly referred to as India’s Happiest Music festival, our commitment to providing unique experiences and showcasing true talent, remains undeterred. In the last ten years, BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender has successfully brought independent music to mainstream culture and we are confident that in the next ten years, the community will grow bigger and stronger. This year, we look forward to celebrating the festival, our fans and the spirit of always doing what moves us,” said Bacardi India director of marketing Anshuman Goenka.
This year, Gaana, the music app that offers more than 30 million songs, is the festival’s music partner, with exciting collaborations and integrations (both in app and on ground) being planned - to offer attendees and Gaana users an integrated festival experience. With an exclusive Gaana stage having a curated list of artists at the festival and artist interactions, Gaana will play an important role at the festival this year.
“When Indians think music, they think Gaana, India’s favourite music app. We are revolutionizing the way music content is consumed in India with our Gaana Originals initiative. By collaborating with musicians to curate original indie content, we provide a platform to distribute independent music. We are proud to be the official music partner for the 10th edition of BACARDI NH7 Weekender, a festival which, like us, helps artists present their creativity”, said Gaana Events and Partnerships lead Rahul Jain.
5 Star - having been in the comedy space for a while now - is on board with a separate stage at Pune that will be dedicated to the strong comedy lineup that Pune has, with the ‘5 Star ke Lolstars’ stage. 5 Star has invested in comedy over the past 2 years, building the 5Star ke Lolstars property jointly with OML and working with India’s biggest comedians, so this association is the natural next step for the brand - an exclusive comedy stage at the happiest music festival.
Tinder is back, replicating and expanding on Camp Tinder, which they’ve executed successfully at Bacardi NH7 Weekender before, offering festival goers a great on ground experience.
Radio partner Radio Mirchi has tied up with the festival as well - because it is the happiest music festival after all, and Mirchi sunne wale, always khush.
“We work with our sponsors as partners in building value far beyond logo presence. Festival culture is a space that enhances creativity and we ensure that all our partners are culturally relevant and make our festival experience mutually beneficial for them and us. Brands add value to our fan experience and become a part of their lifelong memories”, added Supreet Kaur, Festival Director - BACARDI NH7 Weekender.
Every year the festival aims to be strategic in its partnerships, in order to give its fans an enhanced and experiential weekend. And by collaborating with the festivals, the brands get a unique opportunity to give a select and relevant section of their audience a brand experience they’re not likely to forget.
The tickets for the music festival are up for sale on www.insider.in/nh7-weekender
