Shimla has gone down the drain, is the verdict on Instagram. As youth and oldies alike swayed to Bollywood music at the Shimla Summer Festival 2026, commenters saw the downfall of the city. The hill station has become Delhi now, wrote one troubled traveller. Where will North India go for ‘Shimla vibes’?
The videos were a mix of typical Gurugram party scene, some pahadi baddies in ‘cultural attire’, and the ever-present crowd.
“Indians should not be allowed anywhere, not even India,” said a comment. Most others were worried about the ecological impact and commercialisation of the hills. “These people won’t stop until there’s a landslide” was the common mood among the commenters.
“Is this not loud music, is this not disturbing nature, are people not drunk dancing here?” wrote one, questioning the Congress government’s facilitation of the loud, concert-centric fest.
In the Viral Spiral of the Shimla Summer Festival, overcrowding is the main event. Mall Road has been taken over by tourists who complain of overtourism. Traffic lights dot the streets and police whistles ring in the air.
“Has everyone come to Shimla? Anyone left out?” ask people in the text on their reels. Some call it Karol Bagh, others say it’s Maha Kumbh. But it’s not a joke for everyone. Some Good Samaritans take Shimla tourism seriously. They post daily updates to keep fellow travellers (half of Delhi) updated about Shimla’s weather and traffic situation.
“Pack a jacket,” said a miserable-looking man in a recent video, clutching an umbrella and holding on to his cap.
Not that the rain or the cold stopped people from flocking to Gurnam Bhullar’s concert. In one reel, two Delhi men could be seen doing push-ups in the rain… for some reason.
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A ‘happening’ hill town
The Shimla Summer Festival was a desi wedding on steroids. Overcrowded dancing situation, a corner dedicated to “traditional performers”, and most importantly, gorilla, polar bear, and panda mascots dancing to baraat-adjacent music.
But conflicts were unfolding on the sidelines of the festival. The Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) had mobilised on the street, and students, led by SFI, were protesting against the NEET paper leak. Several were detained by the police. The cockroach memorabilia was notably absent.
Both protests were a nuisance for the Delhi-Gurugram tourists. Some commenters called the CITU protesters “jihadi”, while others questioned why the students — who were being detained by the police in the videos — chose the festival venue to protest. Funnily enough, yet another group of commenters cast the festival attendees — the ones who want protesters to register dissent anywhere that’s not their dancefloor — as the cockroaches.
The festival is somehow a microcosm of everything that’s wrong in the country: disregard for nature, commercialisation of culture, oppressive rulers, and a callous, disinterested youth. Who knew Shimla was such a happening place?
Views are personal.