#FoF Spotlight: “Music is the best escape and it will be so, digitally as well” - Taalbelia

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Entertainment | August 13, 2020 | News

Festival of Festivals Event Capital BookMyShow Taalbelia

Event Capital and BookMyShow have announced the launch of ‘Festival of Festivals’ (FoF). The curated collection of India’s event IPs (intellectual properties) across genres such as music, food, literature, languages, fashion and more, has been conceived to boost India’s live entertainment sector that has been heavily impacted through the Covid19 crisis. 

A first-of-its-kind initiative, the three-day virtual gala starts 14th August 2020. It is slated to feature 15 festivals, adding up to over 23 hours of content. The ticketed event will donate 10 percent of proceeds to NGO Anahad, to support artistes involved in live entertainment impacted by the pandemic. This will be routed through BookMyShow’s charity initiative BookASmile.

EVENTFAQS Media reached out to participating festivals to know what one can expect to see at the inaugural FoF and what participants expect from the new property. Here below is an interaction with Siddhartha Chaturvedi, Founder-CEO, Event Crafter, and Festival Producer, Taalbelia.

How does a move from on-ground to virtual format impact an established event IP like yours?

I think attending a physical festival is more of an emotion for the audience. It is meant for their love for art, vibe and a chance to find a break from the monotony. When people come to these festivals, they go back healed with music, having bonded with their loved ones and far richer with the experience of living it. 

However, these times have called for some extreme alterations in one's lifestyle, of which the digital world has been a major part. The consumption of digital content has been phenomenal. 

Taalbelia has recently exposed itself to the digital world with its Fundraiser Taalbelia Folk Alive Weekend Jams in the hope to help the folk community get some monetary support using a medium they know the best. 

What is your expectation from being part of the Festival of Festivals?

Both editions of Taalbelia festival have been an eclectic, versatile and one-of-its-kind experience. This is the first time we are getting Taalbelia on a digital platform. 

FoF has taken this amazing opportunity to bring a combination of various festivals on board spread over three days. We are very happy to be a part of this festival and hope to give our audience a great experience. 

What is the content module you are coming up with for FoF? How similar or different will this be from your original festival? 

Taalbelia is where dreams come true. Taalbelia for me is a product that, when conceived, was entirely different from the existing crop. Now that I am taking it digital with FoF I am focusing on bringing a line-up which gives the audience a nostalgic feel, bringing back a lot of memories. We are known for the eclectic mix. The day in our festival started at our intimate stage named Meera Chowk where one listened to morning bhajans and raagas as the dawn breaks and ended at our fourth stage Big Ibah where big collaborations happen beyond the divide of genres/ music. We had dance music leading to another dawn by some amazing electronic dance producers; that's the vibe we will try to bring in this experience of Taalbelia at FoF.

We have kept a very crisp and multi-genre line-up for the audience, bringing with us an eclectic mix of folk, indie, hip-hop, electronic dance music. Giving creative freedom to our artistes, we want them to give us something which rediscovers their own passion rather than their conventional sets. 

One reason for people to watch it, over the plethora of content on the web.

Music heals, music is the best escape and it will be so, digitally as well.