Music Entrepreneur Nikhil Chinapa Named Festival Director For Arunachal Music Festival

Music entrepreneur, DJ and television personality Nikhil Chinapa, a long-standing figure in India’s music festival movement, is set to take on a new role in Northeast India as festival director of Euphony Voyage 2026. The sixth edition of the Itanagar-based event will expand into a two-day festival, marking a significant step in its evolution from a concert format to a full-scale cultural experience.

Chinapa, who has been closely associated with India’s festival boom since 2007, will bring his experience to Arunachal Pradesh’s capital city, where Euphony Voyage has steadily grown into one of the region’s most prominent live music properties. The festival is the flagship event of Wish & Key, an Itanagar-based events management and creative consultancy.

Launched in 2021 with a performance by local favourite Rito Riba, Euphony Voyage has since hosted a wide range of established artists including Papon, Prateek Kuhad, Javed Ali and Bollywood hitmakers Vishal-Shekhar. Supported by Arunachal Tourism, the festival is increasingly being viewed alongside events such as the Ziro Festival of Music and the Orange Festival of Adventure and Music in Dambuk as a potential gateway to the Northeast as a culture tourism hub.

Each edition of Euphony Voyage has attracted thousands of attendees, contributing to local tourism, creating opportunities for regional talent, and positioning Arunachal Pradesh as an emerging destination for live entertainment. Chinapa witnessed this momentum firsthand when he closed Euphony Voyage 2025 with a late-night DJ set.

“I performed in Itanagar for the first time at Euphony Voyage 2025 and was blown away by the audience,” Chinapa said. “They are knowledgeable, eager and so open. There is tremendous potential in this region, and Wish & Key have done a great job of building an audience and a community around music in Itanagar.”

With the festival expanding to two days in 2026, Chinapa’s role will focus on shaping Euphony Voyage into a multi-stage intellectual property, streamlining operations, promoting emerging artists and newer genres, and deepening community engagement. “Euphony is expanding to a two-day festival with multiple stages, and with that comes a whole new set of challenges and logistics,” he said. “My aim is to streamline operations and curate a lineup that balances familiar names with new and exciting talent, ultimately elevating the fan experience.”

Wish & Key founder and director Geto Pakam said Chinapa’s appointment marks a new phase for the festival. “With Nikhil joining as festival director, Wish & Key Gigs is stepping into a new era of creativity, experience and vision for our audiences,” he said, adding that the expanded format would create broader economic opportunities for the region.

The two-day format is expected to open up avenues for homestays, technical vendors, artists and local businesses, helping build a wider ecosystem around the festival while contributing to economic growth in the state. Pakam also highlighted plans to showcase Arunachal Pradesh’s diverse tribal cultures and traditions as part of the festival’s identity.

Euphony Voyage 2026 is scheduled to take place on February 13 and 14 in Itanagar. Lineup and ticket details are expected to be announced in the coming months.