(The partnership brings together two of India’s most community-rooted brands to enhance the festival journey for travellers, artists and music lovers)
TTT NEWS NETWORK
NEW DELHI | 7 JULY 2026
Zostel, India’s largest community-driven backpacker hostel brand, has been announced as the Official Accommodation Partner for Ziro Festival 2026. Taking place from 24th to 27th September in the picturesque Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, the festival brings together music lovers, travellers, artists and creators from across India and beyond for four days of music, culture and community in the heart of the Eastern Himalayas.
With this partnership, two of India’s most community-rooted brands come together. Ziro Festival has long been celebrated for its intimate setting, eclectic line-up and deep ties to the local Apatani community, while Zostel has built its identity around making travel more social, more accessible and more meaningful for a generation of independent travellers. Zostel now plays a role in shaping how attendees experience the festival, from the moment they plan their trip to the moment they leave the valley.
Zostel has supported Ziro Festival travellers for several years through its curated Zo Trips packages, helping visitors navigate one of India’s more remote festival destinations. This year, that presence is expanding significantly, with new accommodation formats, on-ground experiences and community spaces designed specifically for the festival’s growing audience.
Ziro Festival has seen rising interest from travellers and music communities across the country for over a decade, as more people look beyond mainstream festival circuits for experiences rooted in culture, nature and community. Zostel’s expanded involvement is aimed at meeting this demand, while keeping the experience accessible and rooted in the values both brands share.
Zostel’s headline addition to this year’s offering is a new experiential campground in Ziro, located roughly 800 metres from the main festival grounds. Alongside this, Zostel is also building a dedicated space within the festival grounds itself, giving the brand an on-ground presence throughout the four days.
Both spaces have been designed with sustainability at their core, built using bamboo fabrication and reusable materials to minimise environmental impact, in keeping with the region’s natural landscape and the values both Zostel and Ziro Festival have built their identities on.
The campground has been developed in close collaboration with local communities and partners, with an emphasis on showcasing the cuisine, crafts, performers and businesses native to the region. The intent is to give travellers a deeper, more immersive sense of place, rather than a generic festival stay.
For travellers who prefer a more guided experience, Zostel will continue running its Zo Trips packages for Ziro Festival. These end-to-end packages include accommodation, local transportation and curated destination exploration, removing much of the planning complexity that comes with travelling to a remote festival location.
Beyond accommodation and travel packages, Zostel will also have a branded presence within the festival grounds, creating a dedicated space for travellers, creators and community members to connect throughout the four days. The objective, as with most Zostel initiatives, is to extend the sense of community the brand is known for, well beyond just providing a place to stay.
Aviral Gupta, CEO, Zostel and Zo World, said: ”Ziro Festival has always stood for community, culture and music in their most unfiltered form, and that’s exactly what Zostel was built on too.
This partnership lets us go a step further by building an experience that brings travellers, artists and the local community together under one roof. Our goal has always been to make travel more accessible and more meaningful, and Ziro is the perfect place to bring that vision to life.
This is as much about the festival as it is about the journey leading up to it, and everything that happens once the music stops “
Bobby Hano, Co-founder and Festival Director, Ziro Festival, said: “At Ziro Festival, we’ve always believed that the journey to the festival is as much a part of the experience as the music itself. Zostel’s thoughtful approach to travel, coupled with a strong commitment to sustainability and local engagement, makes them an ideal accommodation partner. Together, we’re creating spaces where people can connect more deeply – with the festival, with the valley, and with one another – while ensuring the spirit of Ziro remains at the heart of every experience.”
About Ziro Festival:
Held annually since 2012 in the picturesque Ziro Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, Ziro Festival is one of India’s most celebrated independent outdoor music festivals, known for its unique setting, diverse artist lineup and deep connection with local culture and the Apatani community. The festival has grown into one of the country’s most distinctive cultural gatherings, drawing travellers and artists from across India and abroad each year.
About Zo World (Zostel):
Zo World is a global travel tech and lifestyle ecosystem reimagining how the world explores, connects, and lives. As the parent company of Zostel, it also operates Zo Trips, Zo Villas, Zo Houses, and Zo Digital, building an AI powered, community driven platform rooted in the Indian ethos of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family). With over 10 million travelers served and operations in 85+ destinations, Zo World is scaling rapidly with goals to host 10,000+ beds, ₹1,500 Cr in annualized revenue Zo Trips GMV, and 300 premium villas. Its in house AI platform personalized experiences, monetizes communities, and empowers 1,000+ local partners. Designed for Gen Z, digital nomads, and conscious explorers, Zo World is building the lifestyle OS for a borderless, abundant future.
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