Ashtamudi Water Gate Music Festival 2026
When Ashtamudi finds its rhythm: Water Gate Music Festival begins in Kollam
Kollam | October 7 2026: Where waterways, culture and music have long shaped one another, Ashtamudi offers a fitting setting for a festival built around water. The first Ashtamudi Water Gate Music Festival opens today at the Sree Narayana Guru Cultural Complex in Asramam, Kollam, bringing five evenings of music and a parallel programme of films to the city.
Known for its intricate network of waterways, islands, villages and backwaters, Ashtamudi is one of Keralam's defining water landscapes. The festival takes this distinctive setting as its starting point, exploring the relationship between water, human life, culture and music through the theme "Musical Ecology - Water."
The festival will be inaugurated by P. C. Vishnunath, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Films. Minister Bindu Krishna, Minister for Labour, Women and Child Welfare, will preside over the inaugural ceremony, while Minister Shibu Baby John, Minister for Forest and Wildlife, will be the chief guest. N. K. Premachandran MP, Kollam Mayor A. K. Hafeez, District Panchayat President R. Latadevi, District Collector Anie Jula Thomas IAS and Councillor Kuruvila Joseph will also attend the function.
A State Government initiative under the 100-day action programme, the festival brings together the distinctive natural setting of Ashtamudi, the cultural heritage of Kollam and diverse musical traditions from across India.
The music programme begins at 7 p.m. each evening, moving across a range of musical styles and traditions. Manganiyar Seduction opens the festival on October 7, bringing the rich musical heritage of Rajasthan's Manganiyar community to the Kollam stage. Araka Vyooham - The Percussion Band and Hamsi & Band follow, while Shanka Tribe brings its distinctive organic trance and world-music sound, weaving ancestral rhythms with instruments from across musical traditions. The festival concludes with Indian Ocean, one of India's pioneering fusion-rock bands, known for bringing together Indian folk traditions and contemporary rock influences.
The festival also brings cinema into the programme. Music-related films will be screened from October 8, with screenings scheduled between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. under the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. The selection explores different aspects of music, including the lives of musicians, musical traditions and the relationship between music and society.
With music, cinema and culture coming together, the festival is also part of an effort to make the Sree Narayana Guru Cultural Complex a more active public cultural space. Set against the distinctive landscape of Ashtamudi and the rich cultural heritage of Kollam, the five-day festival offers visitors another way to experience the many sounds, stories and cultural expressions of Keralam.
Entry to the music programmes is free and is regulated through passes.
The Music Festival
October 7: Manganiyar Seduction at 7 p.m.
October 8: Araka Vyooham - The Percussion Band at 7 p.m.
October 9: Hamsi & Band at 7 p.m.
October 10: Shanka Tribe at 7 p.m.
October 11: Indian Ocean at 7 p.m.
The Film Screenings
October 8 | 2:30 PM
Amadeus (1984) - 180 min, Directed by Milos Forman
October 9 | 2:30 PM
The Pianist (2002) - 150 min, Directed by Roman Polanski
October 10 | 2:00 PM
Journey into Sato Tadao (2025) - 98 min, Directed by Terasaki Mizuho
October 10 | 4:00 PM
Autumn Sonata (1978) - 99 min, Directed by Ingmar Bergman
October 11 | 2:00 PM
Latcho Drom (1993) - 103 min, Directed by Tony Gatlif
October 11 | 4:00 PM
Buena Vista Social Club (1999) - 105 min, Documentary directed by Wim Wenders
