Pandavaas played Haldwani live on Monday 19 October 2026, from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, at Vatika Banquet & Lawn on Nainital Road. It was the closing night of The Kumaon Fest, Naurt Utsav (17 to 19 October), and the band shared the evening with guest artists. The organiser posted the band's sound check and set that night and the next day, and the event partner, PAL College of Technology & Management, named the live set in its post on 20 October. On 14 October 2026 a pass for the night cost Rs 599 Regular, Rs 799 Premium or Rs 1,099 Sitting, and a pass for both 18 and 19 October started at Rs 999.
How the night went
Pandavaas played the closing night as billed. On Monday 19 October The Kumaon Fest's Instagram account posted a clip of the band's sound check at Vatika Banquet, and then of the band on stage that evening; on 20 October it posted more of the set. The festival's event partner, PAL College of Technology & Management, wrote on 20 October of "an electrifying live performance by Pandavas Band" alongside the Garba night of 18 October. Reels posted by people in the audience over the next two days are of the band's set, and one of them joked about staying out until 10 pm, which is when the programme was due to end.
The organiser also posted, on 20 October, a performance of Hill Jatra, the masked folk theatre of the Pithoragarh side of Kumaon. It had not been on the published line-up, and the post does not say which evening it was staged.
What we could not confirm: we found no newspaper report of the night by 22 October, the organiser has published no figure for the crowd, and it has not named the guest artists who shared the stage, so we cannot say whether Vaishali and Vishal, DJ Amaayra or Taameer Collective played on this night. If you were there and can add to this, write to hih.editorial@gmail.com.
Who Pandavaas are
Pandavaas is a folk band and production house from Uttarakhand, based in Srinagar in Garhwal. Its own artist profile says it started in 2008, and it was founded by three brothers, Ishaan, Kunal and Salil Dobhal. Ishaan (also spelt Ishan) Dobhal leads it as director and composer. The organiser of the Haldwani show bills the band as Uttarakhand's "most celebrated Himalayan folk fusion act".
What they play is the folk music of the hills, Garhwali and Kumaoni songs, carried on modern instruments: the poster shows a dhol, a flute, tabla, electric and acoustic guitars and a keyboard among the dozen performers, all in pahadi caps and folk dress. Away from the stage the brothers scored the Garhwali film Sunpat, which premiered at the International Film Festival of India in Goa in November 2021, and made Royal Enfield's film Riding Up to the Stars in Ladakh the same year.
Haldwani comes twelve days after the band opened Sharadotsav 2026 at the Town Hall in Mussoorie on 7 October, where Ishan Dobhal told the Garhwal Post the aim is to keep hill folk music in its authentic form while taking it to a new generation.
The closing night, 19 October
The tickets page calls the evening an Uttarakhand Folk Extravaganza, and the festival page lists it as folk performances with Pandavaas and guest artists, followed by the grand finale. Doors and programme run 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. The festival's wider line-up also names Vaishali and Vishal (a duo the organiser describes as Zee TV fame), DJ Amaayra and the Himalayan band Taameer Collective, without saying which night each one plays, so ask the organiser if you are coming for a particular act. Kumaoni ransingha horns, Dhol Damau, Chholiya dance and Aipan art are listed among the festival's attractions.
Monday 19 October is the last day of Sharad Navratri, and Dussehra falls the next day, Tuesday 20 October. If you want the whole festival, the Kumaon Fest guide has the Saturday morning run and the Garba meets Jhoda night on Sunday 18 October.
Passes and prices
Entry is by pass. These are the prices the festival tickets page showed on 14 October 2026, under a banner saying Phase II pricing is active:
| Pass | 19 Oct only | 18 and 19 Oct |
|---|---|---|
| Regular: standard entry to the festival and performances | Rs 599 | Rs 999 |
| Premium: lounge space, a free Dandiya pair and dedicated parking | Rs 799 | Rs 1,499 |
| Sitting: a reserved seat | Rs 1,099 | Rs 1,699 (Premium on 18 Oct, Sitting on 19 Oct) |
For comparison, the Garba night on 18 October alone costs Rs 499 Regular, Rs 649 Premium, or Rs 399 for a Student Pass with a school or college ID checked at the gate. No student pass was offered for 19 October.
How the phases have gone. The early bird passes are sold out. The pass poster said Phase 1 passes were on sale until 12 October 2026, and by 14 October the tickets page had moved to Phase II. The organiser did not say whether prices rose again before the night, and its festival page carried the line "Hurry! Only Few Passes Left" for the Pandavaas concert. Online booking closed at 6 pm on 19 October.
Where to book. Online on the festival tickets page, which is where the QR codes on both posters lead. Offline, the pass poster says physical passes are available at Vatika Banquet from 10 October, and the tickets page lists a counter at Universal Mobile Planet, opposite MB School, next to the MB (Numaish) ground, Durga City Center, Haldwani. The counter's number on the tickets page is printed with one digit too many, so use 63970 89771 or the helpline.
Who to call. Booking problems: +91 92595 98769. The tickets page also lists 98374 76299, Priyanka on 99277 77732 and Kamal on 88818 88900. Email thekumaonfest@gmail.com, Instagram @thekumaonfest.
We list this event editorially. We do not sell passes, take bookings or earn anything from the organiser's links. Confirm prices and terms with the organiser before you pay.
Getting to Vatika Banquet, and back at 10 pm
Vatika Banquet & Lawn is on the Bareilly to Nainital road at Tedhi Pulia, opposite the LIC building, between Haldwani city and Kathgodam. By Google Maps it is 2.7 km (about 7 minutes) from Kathgodam railway station and 5.2 km (about 14 minutes) from the Haldwani Roadways bus stand, both along NH 109. Parking is on site; the Premium pass adds dedicated parking. Our Vatika Banquet guide has the layout of the hall and lawn.
Open the venue in Google Maps →
The show ends at 10 pm. Getting into Haldwani or Kathgodam from there is a short cab ride. Heading up to Nainital or Bhimtal afterwards means the hill road in the dark on the last night of Navratri, so most visitors will be better off sleeping in the plains and driving up in the morning.
Where to stay for the night
- Hotels near Kathgodam railway station: about 2.7 km up Nainital Road from the venue, the easy pick if you are arriving by train.
- Every hotel in Haldwani and Kathgodam: our directory of 403 stays, filterable by area, budget and Google rating.
- Hotels near the bus stand: about 5 km from Vatika, for anyone coming in by Roadways bus.
- Budget hotels in Haldwani: if you are here for more than one night of the festival.
Or go straight to our Haldwani hotel search and filter by area and price.
Good to know
- It is a Monday night, but the last night of Navratri with Dussehra the next day, so expect festival traffic on Nainital Road.
- Only the Sitting pass promises a reserved seat.
- The Premium pass's free Dandiya pair is part of the pass description on every night, including this one.
- Reserve before you travel rather than counting on the gate: the organiser says few passes are left.
- Coming for the whole weekend? The Kumaon Fest guide covers 17 and 18 October.
Common questions
When and where did Pandavaas play in Haldwani?
On Monday 19 October 2026, from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, at Vatika Banquet & Lawn on Nainital Road, Haldwani, opposite the LIC building at Tedhi Pulia. It was the closing night of The Kumaon Fest, Naurt Utsav, which ran 17 to 19 October.
Did the Pandavaas show go ahead?
Yes. The Kumaon Fest posted the band's sound check and set at Vatika Banquet on 19 October 2026 and more of the set on 20 October, and the event partner, PAL College of Technology & Management, named the live performance in its post of 20 October. We found no newspaper report or crowd figure.
How much were passes for the Pandavaas night?
On 14 October 2026 the festival tickets page showed Phase II prices for 19 October: Rs 599 Regular, Rs 799 Premium (lounge space, a free Dandiya pair and dedicated parking) and Rs 1,099 Sitting (a reserved seat). A 2-day pass for 18 and 19 October cost Rs 999, Rs 1,499 or Rs 1,699. The early bird passes had sold out by then.
Where were passes sold offline?
The organiser's pass poster said physical passes were available at Vatika Banquet from 10 October 2026, and the tickets page listed an offline counter at Universal Mobile Planet, opposite MB School, next to the MB (Numaish) ground, Durga City Center, Haldwani. The organiser's helpline was +91 92595 98769.
Who are Pandavaas?
A folk band and production house from Srinagar in Garhwal, started in 2008 by the brothers Ishaan, Kunal and Salil Dobhal. They play Uttarakhand's Garhwali and Kumaoni folk songs with modern instruments, and Ishaan Dobhal composed the music for the Garhwali film Sunpat.
How do I get back after the show ends at 10 pm?
By Google Maps, Vatika is 2.7 km (about 7 minutes) from Kathgodam railway station and 5.2 km (about 14 minutes) from the Haldwani Roadways bus stand, so a cab into town is a short ride. Driving up to Nainital or Bhimtal after 10 pm means the hill road in the dark on the last night of Navratri, so if you are not local, sleeping in Haldwani or Kathgodam is the simpler choice.
How we listed this
We list local events editorially and are not the organiser. The date, time, venue and partners are from The Kumaon Fest's two posters for the night, published on Instagram (@thekumaonfest). The pass prices, pass types, phase, offline counter and booking numbers were read from the festival tickets page on 14 October 2026, and the line-up and attractions from the festival page published by the Taameer Artivists Foundation. The band background is from Pandavaas' own artist profile, the Wikipedia entry for the film Sunpat, a NewsPost report of 6 November 2021 on the Royal Enfield film and a Garhwal Post report of 9 October 2026 on the Mussoorie show. Distances are from Google Maps, 14 October 2026. How the night went was added on 22 October 2026 from the Instagram posts of The Kumaon Fest (19 and 20 October) and PAL College of Technology & Management (20 October); we found no newspaper report to check them against. Tell us at hih.editorial@gmail.com if anything here has gone out of date.