The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is an annual festival, usually around nine days long in the Kala Ghoda area of South Mumbai. Kala Ghoda Festival is held on Sundays between November and January months. Kala Ghoda Festival is a celebration of arts and crafts that brings together the works of artists in the fields of music, dance, theatre and film. It offers an interactive cultural concoction for Mumbaites.
From its inception in 1999, the Festival has grown in stature and popularity, attracting visitors and participants from other parts of the country, and the world.
The Festival is organised by the Kala Ghoda Association (a non-profit organisation that states its objectives as “physically upgrading the Kala Ghoda sub-precinct and making it the Art District of Mumbai”) and curated by teams handling each of the sub-festivals.
The entire area is decorated into a pedestrian plaza. Portrait paintings, traditional mehendi, exotic bangles, cuisine and traditional Parsi breakfast are the main attractions of this festival. Folk dancers, musicians and singers entertain the gathering.
The sub-festivals feature the visual arts, dance, music, theatre, cinema, literature, lectures, seminars and workshops, heritage walks, special events for children, and a vibrant street festival.
Venues include The Jehangir Art Gallery, The National Gallery of Modern Art, the David Sassoon Library, Max Mueller Bhavan, Elphinstone College, the K R Cama Institute, the M C Ghia Hall, and the street area of Rampart Row. In recent years, the Festival has expanded beyond the Kala Ghoda crescent, with events being held in Azad Maidan and Horniman Circle as well.
Entry to all events is free to all (only restricted by the size of the venues) and costs are met through corporate sponsorship.
Timings: 10.00 am to 9.00 pm
Cultural show and Cuisine: 5.00 pm onwards.
Breakfast: 10.00 am to 11.00 am
Films: 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm
