Trending International Music Festivals in Myanmar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyvXYqIqBYw

Vietnam and Thailand may be known for their bustling nightlife, but in recent years Myanmar has emerged as a hub for internationally-recognized music festivals. From traditional Myanmar music to some of the biggest EDM artists in the world, here’s a recap of a few of the biggest festivals to hit Myanmar in recent memory.

AVA Festival

Named after an ancient capital of Myanmar, AVA Festival brought world-renowned DJ’s like Martin Garrix and Justin Mylo to Yangon for a New Year’s Eve celebration at the end of 2016. EDM music is reaching a growing audience in Myanmar, in part due to increased access to the internet Since Garrix’s visit, other world famous DJ’s have followed including Marshmello at 2017’s Together Festival and Steve Aoki at MSS Trinity.

Myanmar Music Festival

First launched in 2014, the Myanmar Music Festival was founded to bring internationally-recognized, classical performers to Myanmar to collaborate with local musicians. This past year, the festival traveled to a total of five cities across Myanmar, with a special emphasis of blending Western and Myanmar music and instruments along the way. Each year, the festival debuts original musical scores exploring the interplay between Myanmar and Western music, composed by some of the biggest names from both disciplines.

Mingalabar! Festival

Last but certainly not least, 2016’s Mingalabar! Festival was the biggest cultural event to come to modern Myanmar. Hosted by a partnership between the Institut Français de Birmanie and Yangon Regional Government (to celebrate 55 years of diplomatic relations between France and Myanmar), the 3-day festival at the beginning of December turned the entirety of Yangon into one big party celebrating art and music. Highlights included giant bamboo puppets roaming the streets and performances of both traditional Myanmar music, as well as international rock and hip hop, and a travelling circus. The highlight of the festival included a performance by one of Myanmar’s most famous rockstars, Raymond from the indie band Idiots. As our client Tuborg’s brand ambassador, we captured Raymond’s performance and the lead-up to the festival in a short film.