Nepali folk-rock band Nepathya delivered an electrifying performance in Dubai on Sunday, drawing a diverse crowd to The Agenda venue in Internet City for a concert that celebrated music and Nepali identity.

The band performed at the venue for the first time, moving away from the indoor ice hockey arena where it had held previous Dubai concerts. Organiser Shree Lamichhane of Easy Group said the event set a new benchmark for Nepali concerts in the city, praising its production, technical arrangements and audience participation.

The concert opened with “Koshiko Pani” and ended with the crowd favourite “Rato Ra Chandra Surya”. Throughout the performance, frontman Amrit Gurung spoke about Nepal’s natural wealth and the hardships that drive many Nepalis to seek work in the Gulf, urging the diaspora to support their homeland.

The show also attracted attention beyond the Nepali community. Atif Aslam, a young Pakistani who moved from Lahore to Dubai, won a local competition by recording his version of Nepathya’s “Rato Ra Chandra Surya”. His TikTok video of the song received around 35,000 views and 5,000 likes. He also met Gurung backstage.

“I have never experienced a concert that radiated so much energy from the stage,” Aslam said.

Nepali fans travelled from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah to attend. For many, the performance offered more than an evening of music.

“Watching Nepathya is not just about enjoying music. It feels like celebrating Nepal and everything that makes us Nepali,” said Vandana Thapa, a business administration student at Manipal University in Dubai.

After Dubai, the band is preparing to perform in Kirtipur, near Kathmandu, on Saturday. It has also announced upcoming shows in India’s Sikkim and six other cities in Nepal, with a tour of Australia planned for later this year.