Khalid, Swae Lee, Boys Like Girls to headline 2026 edition
The new ground is being planned with multiple entry and exit points, parking facilities and a dedicated traffic management plan.
Shillong, Aug 31: From this year, the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival will be held in its permanent venue ‘New Shillong Highland Grounds’.
American stars Khalid, Swae Lee and Boys Like Girls have been announced as the first three international headliners of the festival scheduled on November 20-21.
Two more international headliners will be announced soon, according to the organisers.
This year, the festival is moving to New Shillong after a successful 2025 edition that featured Jason Derulo, The Script, Tyga, Diplo, Nora Fatehi and Aqua.
The state government has allocated the New Shillong Highland Grounds as a permanent site for large-scale festivals and concerts.
Organisers said the venue, about 30 minutes from Shillong city, will offer better access for visitors from Jowai, Assam and neighbouring states.
The shift to the new venue had delayed this year’s line-up announcement due to extensive technical and logistical planning required for international touring artistes.
With the venue now finalised, the campaign will go into full swing, organisers said.
The new ground is being planned with multiple entry and exit points, parking facilities and a dedicated traffic management plan.
The state government will put in place a comprehensive mobility plan to ensure smooth movement during the festival weekend.
On the music front, Khalid will lead the 2026 edition. The seven-time Grammy-nominated R&B and pop superstar is known for hits like ‘Young Dumb & Broke’.
He will be joined by multi-platinum hip-hop star Swae Lee, one half of Rae Sremmurd and the voice behind the worldwide No.1 hit ‘Sunflower’ with Post Malone.
Adding pop-punk flavour will be Boys Like Girls, the 2000s band behind hits ‘The Great Escape’, ‘Thunder’ and ‘Love Drunk’.
Tickets will go live on September 4 at 6 PM exclusively on RockskiTickets.com, with single-day passes starting at Rs 2,500 inclusive of taxes.
Organisers said the pricing makes it one of India’s most affordable large-scale international music festivals despite its global line-up.
