The Brief Guide To Ākāśa Gathering

Making its debut on September 4-6, Ākāśa Gathering will unfold 3,500 metres up in the high desert of Ladakh, on a terraced hillside site in Karu, a village roughly 35-45 minutes from Leh town. Named for the Sanskrit word for sky, the three-day, three-night gathering is a first edition that aims to create an intimate gathering with "fewer people, lighter footprint, deeper listening" and an ethos of "leave-no-trace".

Music

Indian live acts like Komorebi, Anhad + Tanner and Curtain Blue will play alongside ambient, noise and experimental acts including Fursat FM and Qareebi, genre-spanning DJs like Kaleekarma, Sheral, and Nida in a B2B with Discokid. Techno acts of the country will also represent through a live set by Monophonik and B2B sets between Kohra and Norway's Marius Bø, Dotdat and Berlin's Chloe Lula, AAGUU and Brooklyn's DJ Voices. Other international acts on the lineup include Japan's house-techno force Gonno, Berlin's Sol Asylum Records label-head Julie Marghilano, and Germany's Fejka. Special highlights include Mumbai's Sickflip revitalising his early-career work 'The Ladakh Project' more than a decade after its release, traditional Persian instrument player and regular electronica collaborator Mohammad Reza Mortazavi bringing his meteoric rise to the country and a performance by Indian leftfield artist Ruhail Qaisar who performs in the very home region that he centred for his lauded work 'Fatima'.

Wellness

The Indus, named for the river that's shaped Ladakh for centuries, is the festival's dedicated wellness space, holding the hours between sets with breath, movement and stillness at altitude. It brings Mihir Jogh for Gather & Ground and Mini Shastri for Slow Strong Mornings & Evenings. Gillian and Grey of Lotus Beings lead Yin Yoga and Grounding Tai Chi, and Martin Dubois & Ashwini close it out with a Musical Nap session.

Workshops & Experiences

Between the mornings and the music, the festival's workshops and experiences programme runs on craft, food and conversation drawn from the region: cyanotype printing and toning with Parkhang Collective, a Kashmiri Naqashi workshop, natural dyeing and weaving with Lena Ladakh, a Lune Book Club sitting, stargazing with Dark Sky, and a walk along the Indus with Knowhere Travels.

Tickets to Ākāśa Gathering are on sale via District, and more information is available on the festival's website.