It would be a case of ‘Happy Days are here again, Let’s Sing a song of Cheers again!’ for around 30,000 people who may have attended one or more of SulaFest-a mélange of good wine, good music and good vibes during various editions where up to 18,000 attended the event that gained more popularity with each edition, with people visiting from different parts of India and in the later years a spattering of even foreigners.

Set against the beautiful backdrop around the amphitheater of the original vineyards developed on the land owned by the family of Rajeev Samant, founder and CEO of Sula Vineyards, the Fest will revive many romantic memories for the Gen Z generation and older people who visited the iconic event.

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Historical background

Started in 2008, Sulafest quickly became one of the most popular wine and music festivals in the country with many successful international bands chipping in along with the Indian chart toppers like Shankar Mahadevan, Lucky Ali and Kailash Kher. The usual 2-day festival was even extended to 3 days for its 10th anniversary in 2017 when a record estimated 16000-18000 people attended the fest.

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Edition no. thirteen in 2020 turned out to be the proverbial unlucky number for SulaFest. After 13 annual events (2008-2020), it fell prey to Covid-19. No events could be organised for 2 years and even the wine tourism, which received a tremendous boost from the 13 fests, nosedived during Covid-19.  While the hard core loyalists kept on hoping it would be revived, Sula kept on cancelling the event after 2020 giving a flickering hope that it would be revived. But in 2023, it had finally announced that it had seen the last in 2020.

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In a communication with delWine Rajeev Samant had then said that curtains had gone down finally for SulaFest. Giving the reasons he said, ‘we have no plans to revive Sulafest at this time. It was a great event but it had its time. These days, given the surge of genuine wine lovers and wine tourists thronging our vineyards, it becomes extremely difficult to carve out this festival on one of the busiest weekends of the year.’

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‘We also struggled with permissions, usually getting them only in the last few days just before the festival even though our planning and investment had to begin one year in advance. Finally, we all collectively took the call of no more SulaFest,’ he had said.

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Giving reasons for the change of heart, Rajeev Samant said, “Bowing to the overwhelming demand to bring back our iconic SulaFest, we are thrilled to announce the return of SulaFest in February ’25. We are once again looking forward to welcoming fest goers to our Nashik home, one of the most amazing settings for a music festival in India with the opportunity to enjoy some great music while sipping our award-winning wines.’

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Set against the stunning backdrop of Sula’s Nashik vineyards, the fest promises an unforgettable experience filled with live performances by popular artists, a unique blend of cultural experiences, and of course the opportunity to savour Sula’s finest wines, a few of which may be available only on campus. Tickets will go on sale soon, with more details on the dates and line-up of artists and other highlights to be announced in due course.

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Two days of pure delight when no one is seen overly drunk and there are no untoward instances, it is an epitome of wine, music and fun, placing wine at a higher socially desirable platform. Don’t believe me? Check it out yourself at the 14th edition of SulaFest at Sula Vineyards and then leave your comments here.

Jai Ho!

Subhash Arora