Ticket to Hornbill grand finale today at RCEMPA

KOHIMA — The much-anticipated Ticket to Hornbill, one of India’s biggest band battles 2025, has reached its final stage, with eight outstanding bands including one wild card band from across India selected to perform at the grand finale on Oct. 18 at RCEMPA, Jotsoma near Kohima.

An update issued on Friday informed that over the past two days (Oct. 16 and the 17th), 30 bands from all over the country competed in the live rounds at RCEMPA, showcasing an incredible display of musical talent, originality, and energy.

After two intense days of performances, the top eight have emerged to battle it out for the coveted Ticket to Hornbill 2025 title, the update informed.

The selected bands for the grand finale include: Thunder's Cave (Meghalaya), Juxtaposed (Bengaluru), Akhanda (Sikkim), Novo (Assam), Panic India (West Bengal), So Humble (Delhi), Mood Station (Mizoram) and Stereo Groove (Nagaland). Highlanders from Arunachal Pradesh were selected from wild card entry.

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The winner will get INR 20 lakh while 1st and 2nd runners-up would receive INR 10 lakh and INR 5 lakh respectively.

The top 3 winners will also earn the opportunity to perform at the upcoming 26th Edition of the Hornbill Music Festival 2025 in December.

The updated further informed that the grand finale would feature spectacular guest performances by Keduo, African Amakshiu, Peleno, and Sunep Lemtur and K3M, along with a special felicitation ceremony for sponsors, judges, and partners.

Ticket to Hornbill, organised by the Task Force for Music & Arts (TaFMA), Government of Nagaland, continues to be one of India’s most celebrated music competitions—aimed at discovering, nurturing, and promoting talented musicians from across the country while providing a platform to perform at the iconic Hornbill Music Festival.