Music & Art Festival in Agumbe : Bloom In Green

I lay in the dark of the garden and watched shooting stars with a twinkle of magic in my eyes.

Such was my state while camping in Agumbe for the Bloom in Green festival organised by Soul Tribe Community. With the beautiful melodies playing in the background of the music festival and the surroundings lit up with little fairy lights, the sky was a canvas waiting to be painted that starry night.


Away from the city lights, it was a clear sky for dreamers and believers alike who had gathered for the festival, to lay back in their sleeping bags and watch the stars travel across the sky. And perhaps wish for a shooting star that magical night!

The Bloom in Green festival in Agumbe was not only a perfect weekend getaway for music and art lovers but this camping and the location added the cherry on top for Travellers and artists alike. My internship with Travel Affairs brought forward a chance for a wonderful collaboration with Bloom in Green. From the promotions that begun a month before the festival to actually witnessing and attending Bloom in Green as a Travel Blogger and Influencer.


I began my journey from Manipal around 9.30 am on 17th November 2018 and reached Agumbe by 11.30. On the way, I met three other people who were also headed to Bloom In Green! After a walk through lush green paddy fields we arrived the camping grounds where the festival was being held. The cheerful festive vibe immediately hit me as I noticed some of the workshops had just begun. The up-cycling dream-catcher making by Meenakshi caught my eye. I quickly went and registered myself and left my belongings in my tent along with the welcome kit which I had just received.


The dream-catcher workshop brought back my childhood days when I would sit around with cloth pieces trying to stitch something for my dolls. After working on the dream-catcher, it was way past lunch hour but I was starving and got some local food which was being served at the festival. My lunch consisted of bisabelle bath, bonda and tomato soup. Luckily, it so happened that by this time I found another girl, Chaitali, who like myself had come solo to the festival. We got to know each other over lunch and then headed to watch the blindfold conversations session conducted by Stories Worth Sharing.


The afternoon heat finally cooled down as the sun began setting behind the mountains and the music started on the stage. All the fairy lights and lamps were lit up, ready to get this party started. The first band to perform was Easy Wanderlings and I was totally mesmerised by their laid back and relaxing tunes. Everyone gathered by the stage, sitting down in the grass and just enjoying some good music. The bands to follow did an excellent job and the fire dance was simply amazing. It was a beautiful and an all together different experience to fall asleep in the camps under the stars in our sleeping bags in the chilly mountainside of Agumbe.


Believe it or not all things get only better with time and the same was the case with Bloom in Green festival. An early morning yoga workshop, which I missed but was up and functional soon after to sit around and enjoy the hand pan musical workshop. I snacked on some delicious fruits and soon after that an ice-cream truck came to the campsite and like little children everyone got excited for some ice-cream. I will be honest. I had two chocobars!

As the afternoon rolled in on Sunday, to our delight it began raining and we got busy with another up-cycling workshop by Mridula where this time we used plastic bottles to make insects and I made a beautiful butterfly out of mine. This was followed by a great Story telling session and a rain dance session! The energy was something else. But what blew us all away and had to be the most energetic session of all was yet to come! The Afro Drum circle team literally blew us away!! The drumming, signing and dancing got everyone alive. In the campsite sat a bunch of 200+ strangers totally rhyming together on the beat as if we knew each other for ages, such was the magic of the Bloom In Green festival.


The second night rolled in with some DJ music and the campsite was lit with groups chatting away and bonding as it was almost time for goodbye. The next morning after breakfast the buses for Kerala and Bangalore left and so did I. We may have gone our separate ways but each of us was carrying back memories that would last us a lifetime or for some, to be re-lived next year at the Bloom In Green!

Blog By : Nishma Khetia

Nishma Khetia is an aspiring Travel and Lifestyle Blogger who creates content under her pen name TimeTravellingShutterbug. She is also pursuing her Masters in Pharmacy from Manipal University. She freelances as a content writer and social media manager. She has been interning with Travel Affairs for the past six months in the same roles. Visit her blog here and connect with her on Instagram where she regularly posts her travel experiences and vlogs.


She also shared her Dandeli experience few days before. Check it out here:

Dandeli travel guide