The Story
OrganizerSulaFest began in 2008 as the first edition of what Sula Vineyards called its wine-and-music festival, held at the winery's amphitheatre in Nashik. It was launched by Sula Vineyards, India's largest wine producer, founded in 1999 by Rajeev Samant, and quickly became the country's best-known vineyard music festival, running for thirteen consecutive editions before being discontinued in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, a gap of five years. The festival returned in February 2025 for its 14th edition, drawing more than 12,000 attendees across two days with performers including Divine, Ritviz, Karan Kanchan and Oaff & Savera. Its 15th edition is scheduled for 31 January to 1 February 2026. Sources differ on whether the festival has settled into a fixed biennial rhythm going forward or will return to an annual schedule; Sula's own leadership has confirmed the festival will continue but had not committed publicly to a fixed cadence as of the most recent reporting.
SulaFest's significance lies less in classical cultural programming and more in what it represents structurally: a private, brand-owned festival built entirely around a commercial winery, credited with helping establish Nashik's identity as the 'Wine Capital of India' and popularising wine tourism as a leisure category in the country. It sits at the intersection of music festival and destination marketing, using headline contemporary acts (hip-hop, indie, EDM) to draw an urban audience to a vineyard setting rather than programming around any single musical or cultural tradition. Its five-year Covid-era hiatus and subsequent revival also make it a useful case study in festival resilience: unlike government or institutionally-backed festivals, its continuation depended entirely on one company's commercial judgment that reviving it was worthwhile.
SulaFest is confirmed active and growing again: the 2025 return drew over 12,000 attendees, and the 15th edition is scheduled for January-February 2026 with an expanded lineup and format. For Culture Atlas's institutional audience, it is a clear example of a private, for-profit tourism-and-lifestyle festival rather than a not-for-profit cultural institution, useful as a contrast point against government or trust-run festivals in the same Atlas. Its draw is less about a specific art form and more about the combined appeal of live music, wine tourism and a distinctive vineyard setting, positioning it as a destination-marketing asset for Nashik and for Sula's own tourism business (which includes on-site resorts and dining) as much as a cultural event in its own right.
Brought major international acts to India and popularised vineyard tourism.
