Venue - Kala Ghoda district, South Mumbai
Dates / Days - First Saturday of February to the Second Sunday of February
Duration - 9 days
Time - 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Entry - Free
Kala Ghoda is a happening, hip, trendy, creative district in South Mumbai. It is home to the top exclusive.designer cafes, Indie Art galleries, sidewalks full of innovative art installations, several heritage buildings like the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Bajaj Art Gallery, Educational institutions like Mumbai University, Elphinstone College, Jehangir Art Gallery, Rhythm House, Max Mueller Bhavan, David Sassoon Library to name a few of Mumbai's iconic landmarks.
Established in 1999, the Kala Ghoda Association holds its multicultural annual street festival that celebrates various fields like Films and movies, Theatre, Literature, World and Modern Art, Comedy, Food, Urban design and Architecture, that are divided into 12 sections.
Each section is handled by its respective team.
The purpose of starting this festival was to maintain and help grow Mumbai's rich Art and cultural heritage.
The twelve sections are -
Dance - Shows are held for Indian cultural, contemporary and International dance forms.
Food - Food Walks are arranged, Hundreds of food stalls serving authentic local fares, using local ingredients are put up, Demos and workshops by master chefs are also set up for public participation.
Music - A bunch of music concerts and shows involving Eclectic genres,, tributes to great music personalities, Interviews with musicians are arranged.
Heritage Walks - Heritage walks involve walking events as well as bus rides to various parts of Mumbai rich in culture, history, Arts etc.
Stalls - Hundreds of stalls are set up by the streets showcasing local artisans' works like paintings, ceramics, portraits, sculptures, clothes, shoes,crafts and home decor, traditional bags erc for the shopper to browse and buy to their heart's content.
Visual Arts - Innovative art installations are put up at various venues.
Literature - Includes book launches, interviews and discussions with the authors, poetry reading.
Movies and Films - Off beat movies celebrating LGBT community, regional fare, documentaries, workshops on acting and various aspects of film making, discussions with industry greats are arranged.
Kids - Many interactive shows and workshops, movies, plays for kids is a special attraction.
Theatre - Plays in English, Hindi, Gujarati and Parsi languages
Stand Up Comedy shows - An opportunity is provided to the upcoming as well as established Stand up comedians to showcase their talent.
Urban design and Architecture - Industry giants in the field of design and architecture participate in interviews, presentations, talks, discussions.
Here is a list of Venues of the festival -
Cross Maidan
Rampart Row
Westside Cafeteria
Max Mueller Bhavan
The garden at the David Sasoon library
National gallery of modern art auditorium
Horniman Circle Garden
Tata store at Army and Navy building
The M C Ghia hall
The lawns and auditoriums at the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Goes without saying that the festival attracts thousands of visitors daily and most events, shows need pre-booking to avoid disappointment.
The Who's Who of the Mumbai Art scene, theatre, prominent writers, designers, film makers, musicians, singers, top chefs etc participate in some form or the other in the festival giving an opportunity to the public to enjoy their work and interact with them.
Entry being free, audiences and participants across all class ranges and social strata come together to celebrate the Spirit of Mumbai.
The festival cost is funded and sponsored by various corporations.
Vehicular traffic is not allowed for the duration of the festival.
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