New Delhi rock veterans Parikrama. Photo: Yeashu Yuvraj
When Ed Sheeran played in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan in January 2025 as part of his world tour (which also stopped by India), it was hailed as historic, with the “Shape of You” hitmaker claiming he was the first-ever international artist to play in the country.
Now, to close off the year, there’s another ambitious gathering, Asia Rock Fest, which is being hailed the first music festival for rock in Bhutan. Taking place on Dec. 19 and 20, 2025, at Woochu Sports Arena in the city of Paro, the festival will bring in the likes of New Delhi rock veterans Parikrama, South Korean math-rock band Cotoba, Japan’s genre-bending trio Paranoid Void, Thailand rock band Poomjit, and local bands like North H, The Crossroad, Jimi N The Velvet, and more.
That’s a total of 12 bands across two days, in a festival that’s funded by Bhutan’s Department of Media, Creative Industry & Intellectual Property and organized by North H’s Rock Hard Studio. The band’s vocalist-guitarist, Ugyen Tenzin, who is also one of the organizers, tells Rolling Stone India that Bhutan’s live music scene has been “improving” over the last couple of years, looking beyond just occasionally hosting Indian artists like Lucky Ali and cultural festivals in the country.
The catalyst, according to Tenzin, has also been seeing bands perform regularly within Bhutan, but not always sensing if they can grow beyond a certain level. “We wanted to give them a platform that would be world-class and alongside big bands, with a professional sound setup,” he says.
The Bhutanese bands — which also include Paktso Boiz, Backbeads, The Crossroad, Maybe Paranoid, The Revolution, and the Sangay Lhaden Band to round out the Asia Rock Fest lineup — were selected through an audition that featured 15 bands. “They had to be really good and creative with their original songs. They had to be tight, and we looked into things like showmanship as well when choosing these bands,” Tenzin says about the criteria.
In addition to dexterous music from Cotoba and Paranoid Void, Tenzin is particularly excited for Parikrama, who will close Asia Rock Festival 2025 on Dec. 20. “It’s also huge for artists [in Bhutan] to watch them live and meet them and learn a few things from them,” he says.
Like music festivals in Northeast India, Asia Rock Fest is starting strong with support from the government. Tenzin is frank when he says the festival would not have existed without government support. “Rock is not that big commercially, so no private firm would want to invest in such a festival, where premium bands come from outside,” he admits.
Aiming to draw Indian and Bhutanese audiences alike, Tenzin says Asia Rock Fest will be an annual event, although the call might be based on the reception for the debut edition later this month. He adds, “We want to set up a platform that’s international level, something that’s not been done before in Bhutan. We’ll keep improving on it, and eventually we want to make it one of the biggest rock festivals in Asia. We’re hoping a lot of people come to witness something that’s never been done before.”
Find more details, ticket information, and packages for Asia Rock Fest 2025 here.
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