Ason, Kathmandu’s oldest marketplace, is set to reverberate with a music festival this Saturday, March 25. Spread over seven different locations in the historic district, the festival—Echoes in the Valley—will see small neighbourhoods and bahals converted into grand stages, with dozens of international and local artists set to perform throughout the day. 

Conceptualised as festival that “aims to preserve, promote and witness the changes in diverse traditional performing arts from Kathmandu,” Echoes in the Valley will see traditional Bhajan Khalas-local Bhajan troupes-perform alongside folk-fusion heavyweights like Kanta dAb dAb, Project Sarangi, Night and Hari Maharjan Project. The festival will also host a photo exhibition—History Begins at Home—which will showcase dozens of archived historic family photographs of Ason’s residents. 

Speaking to the Post, Bushan Shilpakar, one of the organisers of the festival, said, “We wanted to organise the festival to cover, revive and make relevant Kathmandu’s intangible heritages and disappearing sounds by showcasing local music, art, and performances of everyday rituals. We are doing so by aligning traditional sounds alongside those of modern fusion ensembles.” According to Shilpakar, the day-long festival will also feature poetry recitals by the Word Warriors, workshops for both children and adults on music and traditional crafts, heritage walks around Ason, and traditional food stalls. 

Beginning with a procession of traditional musicians from the locality, the festival will see artists perform at public spaces including Ason, Balkumari Satah, the historic Paltan Chhen and Kel Tole, places that would otherwise be swarmed with local businesses. “In a way, we will be repurposing public spaces, but in another, we will be taking them back to their roots,” says Shilpakar. 

The day’s events will be punctuated by two guided tours facilitated by local historian Alok Siddhi Tuladhar that will cater to both children and visitors who have been to Ason before but have never stopped to peel its many historic layers.