​The Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival 2026 will make a return on November 20–21 at a new permanent venue, the New Shillong Highland Grounds. For its upcoming edition, the festival has announced three international headliners: American R&B and pop star Khalid, pop-punk band Boys Like Girls and hip-hop artist Swae Lee. Organisers have made the confirmation that two more international headliners will be announced soon.

Following a successful 2025 edition that featured some of the major Indian and international acts, including Jason Derulo, Tyga, Diplo, The Script, Nora Fatehi and Aqua, the festival is moving to New Shillong. The Meghalaya government has designated the New Shillong Highland Grounds as a permanent venue for large-scale festivals and concerts.​​

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The New Shillong Highland Grounds will feature multiple exit and entry points, a dedicated traffic management system and parking facilities. The state government will also implement a comprehensive mobility plan during the festival weekend to manage movement.

The musical lineup will be headlined by Khalid. The seven-time Grammy-nominated artist is renowned for hits including Young Dumb & Broke. Swae Lee, the voice behind the global hit Sunflower with Post Malone and one half of hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd, will also perform. Boys Like Girls will bring to the festival their pop-punk sound with tracks such as Thunder, The Great Escape and Love Drunk.

Tickets will go live exclusively through RockskiTickets.com on September 4 at 6 PM, with single-day passes starting at Rs 2,500, inclusive of taxes. Organisers say the pricing makes the festival one of the more affordable large-scale international music events in India.