Guwahati: The Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival 2026 is set to return on November 20 and 21 with a major international line-up, as organisers announced American R&B star Khalid, hip-hop artist Swae Lee and pop-punk band Boys Like Girls as the first three headliners.
The festival will also move to a new permanent venue this year, the New Shillong Highland Grounds, which has been allocated by the Meghalaya government for large-scale concerts, festivals, and other events.
Organisers said two more international headliners will be announced soon, taking the total number of major international acts to five.
Khalid, known for tracks including Young Dumb & Broke, will headline the first wave of announcements. The seven-time Grammy-nominated singer has established himself as a prominent name in contemporary R&B and pop.
Swae Lee, one half of the hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, will also take the stage. He is widely known for his collaboration with Post Malone on Sunflower, among other international hits.
Adding a pop-punk edge to the festival will be Boys Like Girls, the American band that rose to prominence during the 2000s with songs such as The Great Escape, Thunder, and Love Drunk.
The shift from Shillong’s Polo Grounds to the New Shillong Highland Grounds is aimed at improving crowd and traffic management while making the festival more accessible to audiences travelling from Meghalaya, Assam, Jowai and neighbouring states. The new venue is located around 30 minutes from Shillong and is being equipped with multiple entry and exit points, parking facilities and dedicated traffic arrangements.
The line-up announcement came later than expected, with organisers attributing the delay to the technical, logistical and production requirements involved in moving the festival to the new venue and coordinating international artists.
The 2025 edition featured artists including Jason Derulo, The Script, Tyga, Diplo, Nora Fatehi and Aqua.
Tickets for the 2026 festival will go on sale from 6 pm on September 4, with single-day passes starting at Rs 2,500, inclusive of taxes. Tickets will be available through RockskiTickets.
With two more international acts still to be announced, the 2026 edition is expected to further expand the festival’s growing reputation as a major music and entertainment event in the Northeast.