Make some music this autumn

Three days of enchanting music and dance in the lap of blue hills is nothing less than plain bliss. And that’s why the second edition of the Go Mad Festival promises to be bigger, better and brimming with energy. This year this cultural extravaganza will feature over 50 celebrated artistes, including Parikrama, Agam, Soulmate and Shobana, who will present the most exquisite renditions and performances at the breathtaking 150- year- old heritage building - Fernhills Palace. The palace is scenically located 6,000 feet above sea level and spread across 50 lush acres.

Newer international bands all set to rock the show this year include Jeremiah Ferrai from Leigh, UK, Luke Jon Shearer from Newcastle Australia and Loryn from Austin, Texas. Adding to the spectacular variety are Indian bands like the The Chronic Blues Circus – one of Bangalore’s oldest blues bands, The Ska Vengers from Delhi, who blend ‘ ska’ rhythms with elements of dub, punk, jazz and rap, Bala Bhaskar - a violinist composer and record producer from Kerala and The Vinyl Records, a four- piece girl band from Delhi, among others.

For those who wish to try a hand at performing arts themselves, the festival will include guitar, photography and belly dance workshops and biker’s packages and camping packages for adventurists and nature enthusiasts.

To take the visual appeal of the festival up to a whole level, organiser Cobalt— a marketing experiential company has even set up a verdant backdrop with a bazaar, jam base, food court, drum circle jam, bar in the woods and art installations. So go on and make your next getaway to the hills a vibrant cultural retreat. For tickets and further details, log on to gomadfestival. com. Dates October 25 to 27 At Fernhills Palace, Ooty