Anyone looking for festivals pertaining to the arts will find it in Mumbai, India at the Kala Ghoda Street Fair. The name means ‘black horse’, after a neighborhood in the Southern part of the city. Not only is it a crafts festival, but a fine arts festival with the participation of the galleries such as the world famous Jehangir Gallery near the Bollywood movie studios. This festival also includes the performing arts such as various fringe dance festivals, film and theater festivals, and music shows. This is the festival the people of India wait for, with the restaurants and cafes buzzing with artists as well as the lounges of the hotels in Mumbai.
This is a three month festival, each Sunday, beginning in November and continuing through January. The association responsible for this event was founded in 1988. The goal was to create a district for the arts in the city, as well as to enhance the cultural infrastructure of the entire country. With the advent of the festivals, more bookstores have opened as well as children’s theaters and local puppet theater companies. They have managed to bring the Mumbai Art scene to the international forefront.
This is one of the largest street fairs of its kind, with the whole district opened for pedestrian traffic, and artists set up at their easels or working on sculptures. Jewelry and clothing stalls sell saris and bangled earrings and bracelets, as well as tattoo parlors and history classes. When the sun goes down, lanterns light up the city, and the music and dance performances begin. There is a celebration and a ceremony announcing the winners of the film festivals, with a feast of the exotic flavors and cuisines of the local chefs. This has become the soul of the art world, not just for the region, but for the rest of Europe, the Middle East and the United States as well.