Guwahati: The Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival 2026 will return on November 20 and 21 with an international-heavy line-up, organisers announced, naming American R&B star Khalid, hip‑hop artist Swae Lee and pop‑punk band Boys Like Girls as the first three headliners. The two‑day festival will move this year to a new permanent site, the New Shillong Highland Grounds, which the Meghalaya government has allocated for large concerts and events.
Organisers confirmed two more international headliners will be revealed soon, bringing the total number of major international acts to five. Khalid, known for hits such as “Young Dumb & Broke,” is a seven‑time Grammy nominee and leads the initial wave of announcements. Swae Lee, one half of Rae Sremmurd, is best known for his collaboration with Post Malone on “Sunflower.” Boys Like Girls, who rose to fame in the 2000s with songs including “The Great Escape,” “Thunder” and “Love Drunk,” will add a pop‑punk element to the bill.
The festival’s move from Shillong’s Polo Grounds to the New Shillong Highland Grounds is intended to improve crowd and traffic management and make the event more accessible to audiences travelling from Meghalaya, Assam, Jowai and neighbouring states. The new venue is roughly 30 minutes from Shillong and is being equipped with multiple entry and exit points, parking facilities and dedicated traffic arrangements.
Organisers said the line‑up announcement came later than expected because of the technical, logistical and production work required to shift to the new venue and coordinate international artists. Last year’s 2025 edition featured Jason Derulo, The Script, Tyga, Diplo, Nora Fatehi and Aqua.
Tickets for the 2026 festival go on sale at 6 pm on September 4. Single‑day passes start at Rs 2,500 (inclusive of taxes) and will be available through RockskiTickets. With two headline acts still to be named, organisers say the 2026 edition aims to build on the festival’s growing reputation as a major music and entertainment event in the Northeast.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/meghalaya/meghalaya-cherry-blossom-festival-2026-set-to-feature-khalid-swae-lee-boys-like-girls.html
Category: Meghalaya,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2026-09-01 14:40:00
