Oasis is the annual cultural festival of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, now in its 54th edition. The 2026 edition runs from 29 October to 2 November on the Pilani campus in Rajasthan under the theme Dawn of the Djinns, drawing on the lamps, deserts and legends of Arabian
folklore.
Over five days, students from colleges across the country compete in dance, music, drama, fashion, fine arts and literary events.
The nights belong to the Prof Shows (professional shows), the festival’s headline concerts and comedy nights. Oasis also runs national-level talent hunts in rock, rap and poetry, with preliminary rounds in cities across India ahead of the finals in Pilani.
Oasis by the Numbers
• Around 6,000 people at each of the Hindi and English Prof Shows, the EDM x Hip-Hop Nite and the Comedy Nite
• Around 4,000 at Indie Nite and 2,000 at Classical Nite
• Around 1,500 each at Rocktaves and Rap Wars, and 1,000 at Purple Prose
• 500,000+ views on the Oasis – BITS Pilani YouTube channel
• 3,000,000+ cumulative hits on the Oasis website and 40,000+ Oasis app downloads
• 17,000+ Instagram followers and 300,000+ LinkedIn impressions
Audience figures are typical footfall at past editions, as reported by the Oasis team.
The Prof Shows
Each evening of Oasis ends with a headline show. This year’s Prof Shows are Hip Hop Nite, Indie Nite and Bollywood Nite. The 2026 line-up will be announced by the Oasis team. Past editions have brought some of the biggest names in Indian and international music to Pilani.
Bollywood Nite: The festival’s biggest singalong. Previous Hindi Prof Shows have featured Vishal Mishra, Amit Trivedi, Kailash Kher, Lucky Ali, Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Benny Dayal, Farhan Akhtar, Vishal Dadlani, Anish Chhabra and The Local Train, typically drawing around 6,000 people.
Hip Hop Nite: Builds on the festival’s EDM x Hip-Hop Nite, which has hosted Seedhe Maut, KR$NA, Nucleya, Zaeden, Sevenn, DJ Shaan and a Sunburn showcase, with audiences of around 6,000.
Indie Nite: A major platform for India’s independent music scene. Past line-ups include Peter Cat Recording Co., When Chai Met Toast, The Yellow Diary, Parvaaz, Dualist Inquiry, The Backyard Shrooms, Submarine in Space and Idish, with audiences of around 4,000.
Other past headline nights: The English Prof Show has featured guitarist Guthrie Govan, bassist Mohini Dey, Agam, Lightyears Explode, Parvaaz, Soulmate, Good Shoes, Blackstratblues and Skrat. N2O, the Comedy Nite, sells out every year and has hosted Samay Raina, Zakir Khan, Abhishek Upmanyu, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Kenny Sebastian, Kunal Kamra, Karunesh Talwar, Vipul Goyal, Vivek Samtani, Gurleen Pannu and TVF. Classical Nite has featured Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Pt. Ronu Majumdar, Pt. Rupak Kulkarni, Pt. Aditya Kalyanpur, Ramkumar Mishra, C. Raghuraman, Keyboard Satya and N.C. Bharadwaj.
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National Talent Hunts
Rocktaves: One of India’s best-known rock band competitions, now in its 33rd edition and a kernel event of Oasis. Prelims are held in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Pune and Guwahati. Rocktaves has played a part in the rise of many bands that are now household names, including The Local Train, Indian Ocean, Euphoria, Them Clones, Super Fuzz and Prestorika.
Rap Wars: One of the country’s largest rap battle competitions, in its 8th edition, with rappers competing for the title of Best Rapper. Prelims are held in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru. It has been a launching pad for artists such as DIVINE, Naezy, Raftaar, Brodha V, Smokey and Xstacy
Sash. Past editions featured DJ Runjun of Agnastik Crew and hosts including MC Heam, Prabh Deep and Poetik Justis.
Standup Soapbox: Oasis’s own talent hunt for upcoming stand-up comedians. Those who clear the elimination round travel to Pilani, and the winner opens the Comedy Nite in front of 6,000+ people, sharing the bill with some of the country’s top comics.
Purple Prose: A nationwide poetry slam for the title of best slam poet, with elimination rounds in
Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Indore and Hyderabad.
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Competitions at Oasis 2026
Kernel events: Swaranjali, Razzmatazz, Metamorphosis, Tarang, Street Dance, Andholika, Tandav, FashP, Stage Play & Street Play, Choreo, Desert Duel and Pitch Perfect.
• Music: Pitch Perfect, Andholika, Tarang, Free Jam, Drums Duel, Axetacy
• Dance: Razzmatazz, Street Dance, Choreo, Tandav, Desert Duel
• Fashion & Fine Arts: FashP, Mr & Mrs Oasis, Femina Miss India, Metamorphosis, Splash, Exposure
• Drama & Literary: Stage Play, Street Play, Mime, Mock Parliament, Oasis Debate, Blab, Oasis Quiz, Treasure Hunt
Featured Competitions
Razzmatazz (Group Dance): An inter-college group dance competition where teams present choreographed pieces that often fuse several styles. It is high-energy and theatrical, with synchronisation, formations and stage presence at the centre, and a strong emphasis on creativity and collective storytelling.
Tarang (Battle of the Bands): A competitive music showcase known for blending classical and rock influences. Vocalists and instrumentalists bring powerful live sets in which contrasting musical traditions meet, judged on musicianship and inventive arrangements.
Street Dance (Urban Dance): A competition built around street and hip-hop styles, from urban choreography to freestyle. It is raw and beat-driven, and attitude, musicality and individual expression count as much as the moves.
Andholika (Vocal Talent Hunt): A singing competition that tests vocal range across genres and formats, from soulful classics to contemporary songs, judged on versatility, technique and interpretation.
FashP (Fashion Show): Oasis’s fashion showcase, where college teams present runway performances built around a creative concept. It brings together styling, costumes, music, choreography and confident ramp walks, with fashion used as a form of storytelling.
Desert Duel (Solo Dance): A solo dance competition where dancers from different colleges face off over successive rounds. With the spotlight on one performer at a time, it rewards individuality, technique and stage charisma across dance forms.
Social Initiatives
Blood Donation Camp: Organised every year by NSS, BITS Pilani with the Indian Red Cross Society and AIIMS. Last year it recorded a country high for units collected, and BITS Pilani’s drive remains among the most successful college blood donation drives in India.
Teach for India: Through its association with Teach for India, Oasis has supported the education of hundreds of underprivileged children, and the partnership continues this year.
NSS & Nirmaan Stall: A stall run by NSS, BITS Pilani and Nirmaan that sells products sourced from
NGOs and made by rural women and specially abled artisans.
Contact
Devansh Agarwal, StuCCAn (Head), Art, Design & Publicity, Oasis 2026
+91 79828 11938
adp@bits-oasis.org
Website: bits-oasis.org
Instagram, X and YouTube: @bitsoasis
