Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda festival is one of the most awaited and celebrated art festivals. People from all over the world become a part of this festival and celebrate it with great enthusiasm. This festival has been held since 1999 but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was suspended for the last two years.
The festival finally came back in 2023 and people, especially Mumbaikars, are more than excited about this year’s celebration. Kala Ghoda festival will begin on January 20 and held over a span of eight days in the Kala Ghoda district of South Mumbai.
Kala Ghoda Festival 2024 Date
Every year the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is organized by the Kala Ghoda Association in the month of February.
This year too, the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2024 will be held from January 20 and conclude on January 28. The timings will be from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm every day.
Entry Ticket For Kala Ghoda Arts Festival
There will be no entry fee for Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2024 but if you wish to enjoy food at stalls or buy some souvenirs for friends or family, you will have to pay for those.
Kindly note that the entry of visitors might be restricted depending on the capacity of the venue.
Significance of Kala Ghoda Festival
The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is one of the biggest street art festivals in the country that attracts the attention of visitors from all over the world. The festival aims at promoting arts, crafts and cultural heritage of the country, especially Mumbai and the Kala Ghoda area.
The Kala Ghoda area is known for its heritage buildings, and art and cultural spaces, such as museums, art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and educational institutions. Also, the funds raised from the festival every year are directed toward the restoration efforts undertaken by the Kala Ghoda Association.
Kala Ghoda Festival History
The Kala Ghoda Association was formed on 30 October 1998 to maintain and preserve the art and heritage district of South Mumbai. For this, the association decided to observe a Kala Ghoda art festival and the first time this festival was observed in 1999. owing to its popularity, the festival became an annual thing and has constantly been growing since then.
This year, the festival will mark its 20th celebration anniversary. The name of the festival was coined after the ancient equestrian statue of King Edward VII erected in the area. While the statue no longer exists, the area is still recognized as the Kala Ghoda district.
How is Kala Ghoda Festival observed?
The Kala Ghoda festival provides an opportunity to explore art and a platform to allow artists to showcase their talent to the world. This highly acclaimed festival is categorized into 14 different sections so that people can indulge in the celebration depending on their preferences.
Other than dance, music, theater, cinema and literature, the festival also includes events such as workshops, heritage walks, urban design and architecture. There is something interesting to enjoy here for people belonging to every age group and taste. Children can have fun at the children’s activities, foodies can visit different food stall, those who love comedies can be a part of stand-up comedy club and much more. Interested people can organize their own events rather than attending one.
There will be different venues assigned for different events so that people can enjoy the festival in convenient ways. Children’s activities will take place at the CSMVS lawns while music and film festival will be organized at Cross Maidan on MG Road.
The food stalls will be at the Mahatma Gandhi Road, Churchgate and theaters & visual arts can be found at Horniman Circle Garden. People interested in stand-up Comedy can visit to Irish House whereas the workshops will be organized at the Artisans at VB Gandhi Marg.
Check Hindu calendar
Verticals of Kala Ghoda Arts Festival
These are the 14 sections of Kala Ghoda Arts Festival:
- Children: This section included fun activities for children and will include many things from games to literature.
- Cinema: Documentaries, Bollywood flicks, and much more will be there for film lovers.
- Dance: This section will focus on people who like to enjoy all forms of dance.
- Food: There will be workshops for preparing different cuisines and food walks will be held on the weekend.
- Heritage walks: The heritage walks and bus tours will help visitors understand the culture and heritage of Kala Ghoda area.
- Music: This section will divulge you into different genres of music and one can enjoy the music by popular artists and folk musicians.
- Literature: Book launches, discussions with authors, poetry sessions, and much more will be included in the literature section.
- Stalls: Stalls with food, handcraft items are many others will be a great attraction of the festival.
- Stand-up comedy: Top comics from the city will make you laugh.
- Theater: This section includes acclaimed performances presented to you from regional theater.
- Urban design and architecture: Focus on the architecture and design of cities under this section.
- Visual art: Installations and exhibits focusing on Mumbai and Maharashtra-based art and artists are a part of this.
- Workshops: Workshops on many activities will be organized.
Check date of Makar Sankranti
Frequently Asked Questions
It starts on January 20, 2024
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The stall setting fee at KGAF is Rs 94,400 (including GST).
