Facebook Pixel Code

A calendar to celebrate

From DJ nights and art festivals to theatre workshops and literary get-togethers, here’s your guide to some of the prominent cultural events this season… Compiled by Kunal Doley

Oktoberfest Goa 2014
What: The fourth edition of Oktoberfest Goa 2014 will feature some of the best DJs and live acts from across the country and abroad. While Firebeatz, Gregori Klosman and Matisse & Sadko will headline the festival this year, other artistes to perform are Marco V, Tristan Garner and Arston. At the ‘after parties’, artistes like John 00 Fleming, Lost Stories and Vijay Chawla will woo the audiences with their high-octane music.
Where: Nazri Grounds, Baga, Goa
When: October 31 to
November 2, 2014
Dharamshala International
Film Festival
What: The third edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival will not only showcase 24 local, national and international films and documentaries (notable entries include Liar’s Dice, India’s official entry to the 2015 Academy Awards; the critically-acclaimed CityLights; and Only Lovers Left Alive, an Anglo-German production starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston), but will also include conversations, workshops and masterclasses with directors.
Where: Mcleodganj,
Himachal Pradesh
When: October 31 to
November 2, 2014
Mumbai International
Literary Festival
What: Over 500 renowned Indian and international authors and speakers will participate during the four days of the fifth Mumbai International Literary Festival. This year’s event will have a range of high-profile speakers from Barkha Dutt and Shashi Tharoor to Chetan Bhagat and Gulzar. Performances related to literature like plays, performance poetry, dances based on stories and poetry, story-telling with music—will also be an integral part of the festival.
Where: NCPA and Prithvi
Theatre, Mumbai
When: October 30 to
November 2, 2014
Delhi International Arts Festival
What: The 8th edition of the Delhi International Arts Festival (DIAF) will bring some of the finest performing artistes such as musicians and theatre actors to enrich Delhi’s cultural scene over 15 days. Some of the events to look forward to this season include A Woman Alone, a theatre performance by Sanchayita Bhattacharjee; Of Women, a dance theatre choreographed by Mehneer Sudan; a clarinet, saxophone and piano recital by Péter Horváth and Beáta Gincsai from Hungary; Lady Macbeth in Kathakali by Prabal Gupta; and a contemporary dance by Maria Kong Dance Company from Israel, among others.
Where: Delhi-NCR
When: October 28 to
November 11, 2014
The Park’s New Festival
What: Conceptualised and curated by The Park Hotels and Prakriti Foundation, The Park’s New Festival is designed to promote emerging and new artists. Kickstarting from Kolkata on October 31, the festival will travel to six cities before concluding in Chennai on November 23. This year’s highlights include striking contemporary dance performance by UK-based hip-hop/contemporary dance company Avant Garde, observational humour of Azeem Banatwalla, a devised performance piece by actress-cum-performing artist Jyoti Dogra, a unique brew of music by Filter Coffee, an improvised performance based on the character of Madame K by K TWO dance group and an exhibition of moving image works by Claire Pencak, apart from a few contemporary dance workshops.
Where: Kolkata, Mumbai, New
Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore
and Chennai
When: October 31 to
November 23, 2014
NH7 Weekender
What: The Bacardi NH7 Weekender 2014 will take place in four cities starting with Kolkata (November 1 and 2) and finally culminating in Delhi (November 29 and 30). This year’s line-up includes English indie rockers The Vaccines, American heavy-metallers Fear Factory, Australian singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko, Australian indie rockers Cloud Control, UK alt-rock act Dinosaur Pile-Up, US indie rockers Motopony and London-bred singer-songwriter Luke Sital-Singh.  Other international artists to perform at the this year’s Bacardi NH7 Weekender include Mutemath (US), Jon Hopkins (England), Songhoy Blues (Mali), Talal Qureshi (Pakistan) and Sachal Jazz Ensemble (Pakistan), among others.
Where: Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi
When: November 1, 2; November 21 to 23; November 29 and 30
Rang
What: From Nitish Bhardwaj in Chakrvyuh and Nadira Babbar in Sandhya Vhhay to Rajit Kapur in One on One, the fourth edition of the annual arts festival organised by the Films & Theatre Society is coming out with some of the finest theatre productions of the country. The other highlights of this edition are Manchnaad, the theatre festival; ‘Know the Actor in You’, a theatre workshop by Nadira Babbar; a ‘Sufi Night’ by Nizami Brothers; and a ‘Hindi Kavi
Sammelan’, among others.
Where: Ficci, Kamani Auditorium, Shri Ram Centre and Hindi Bhawan, New Delhi
When: November 1 to 9, 2014
Prithvi Theatre Festival
What: In its 36th year, the Prithvi Theatre Festival is named after the legendary actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Apart from new productions, the festival will introduce Fringe theatre, where actors will perform experimental plays in front of a small audience, this year. There will also be circus acts designed especially for the stage. Just like last year, music enthusiasts can also experience live music with acoustic jam sessions. This time in ‘Stage Talk’, theatre actors will share interesting anecdotes from their lives.
Where: Mumbai
When: November 5 to 16, 2014
Indian Non Fiction Festival
What: The fourth edition of the India Non Fiction Festival, dedicated to non-fiction literary works, will bring together noted authors and personalities from varied walks of life on one stage who will engage in discussions on significant but often neglected issues. A few of the personalities who will grace the occasion this year are K Natwar Singh, Vinod Rai, Suhel Seth, Dipankar Gupta, Leila Seth, Isher Judge Ahluwalia, John Elliott, Dinesh Sharma, Ira Trivedi, BG Verghese, Manish Tiwari, Kingshuk Nag
and Arun Maira.
Where: India Habitat Centre, Delhi
When: November 15 and 16, 2014
International Film Festival of India
What: The country in focus this year will be China with a package of 12 films from the country to be shown at the festival. The closing film is tipped to be a great draw with the internationally-acclaimed Chinese filmmaker from Hong Kong Wong Kar-Wai’s The Great Master to be screened. Hindi film icon Amitabh Bachchan is likely to be the chief guest this year, while southern star Rajinikanth will also be presented with a special honour at the festival. Elizabeth Ekadashi (directed by Paresh Mokashi) has been chosen as the opening film by the feature film jury of Indian panorama for 2014.
Where: Goa
When: November 20 to 30, 2014
Goa Arts and Literary Festival
What: The fifth edition of the Goa Arts and Literary Festival will feature delegations from Australia, Singapore, Nepal and Pakistan, besides some fine writers, poets, artists and musicians from across India. The highlights of the event, to be organised by The International Centre, Goa in association with Goa Writers’ Group, include the release of Rajdeep Sardesai’s hotly anticipated account of the 2014 elections, Janice Pariat’s debut novel Seahorse, and the latest books by Githa Hariharan and Dilip D’Souza. Artist-novelist Daisy Rockwell will mount her first ever art exhibition at the venue and
veteran Indian-American rapper Chee Malabar will make his Indian debut at the festival this year.
Where: The International
Centre, Goa
When: December 4 to 7, 2014
Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014
What: The second edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, titled ‘Whorled Explorations’ and curated by artist Jitish Kallat, will feature 95 artists from 30 countries. The central exhibition will be accompanied by ‘History Now’, a series of talks and seminars. There will also be the ‘Student’s Biennale’, a pilot programme engaging students from government-run art colleges and led by young curators from across the country. The programmes will also include performances, collateral events, interactive projects for children, as well as the ‘Artist’s Cinema’ project.
Where: Multiple venues in Kochi, Kerala
When: December 12, 2014 to
March 29, 2015
Hornbill Festival 2014
What: Visitors can enjoy the colourful performances, crafts, sports, food fairs, games and ceremonies during the 10-day festival. Traditional arts, which include paintings, wood carvings and sculptures, are also on display. Festival highlights include sale of handicraft items, food stalls, herbal medicine stalls, flower shows and sales, among others.
Where: Naga Heritage Village, Kohima
When: December 1 to 10, 2014
Jaipur Literature Festival
What: The Jaipur Literature Festival in Rajasthan has gained a reputation as the literary calendar event of the year, not least because it’s set in the stunning pink city. The programme consists of literary and music events and previous guest speakers have included noted people like Oprah Winfrey. The event is free to participate, with online registration. The speakers for the coming edition include an eclectic mix, from Raj Kamal Jha to Tshering Tashi and Paul Theroux to Neel Mukherjee. Other writers to grace the occasion are Hanif Kureishi, Devdutt Pattanaik, Chetan Bhagat, Amish Tripathi and Tom Holland, among a host of others.
Where: Diggi Palace Hotel, Jaipur
When: January 21 to 25, 2015
India Art Fair
What: The 7th edition of the India Art Fair will see 85 exhibiting galleries in a total of 90 booths showcasing a breadth of modern and contemporary art practices including painting, sculpture, new media, installation and performance art. The 2015 Speakers’ Forum will engage the entire range of stakeholders in the visual arts—artists, curators, critics, administrators, academics, gallerists and collectors, as well as covering a wide spectrum of artistic practices. Speakers will include Adam Szymczyk, artistic director of documenta, the world’s largest and most prestigious contemporary art exhibition; Venu Vasudevan, director general of the National Museum, Delhi; Jeremy Deller, leading artist and creator of the British pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale; Sheikha Hoor al Qasimi, director of the Sharjah Biennale and curator of the UAE pavilion at the next Venice Biennale; and Julian Stallabrass, professor at the Courtauld Institute London.
Where: NSIC Grounds,
Okhla, New Delhi
When: January 29 to
February 1, 2015
International Sand Art Festival
What: The fourth edition of the International Sand Art festival, organised by Odisha Tourism, will coincide with the Konark Dance Festival this year. National and international sand maestros are expected to participate in the competition. The creator of best sand art will get purse money of R1,00,000. As many as 30 Indian and 10 foreign artists are expected to participate in the competition. Famous sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is taken as the brand
ambassador of this event.
Where: Konark, Odisha
When: December 1 to 5, 2014
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival
What: Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is a kaleidoscope of music, dance, theatre, literature, street stalls, films, workshops for adults and children, visual arts and heritage walks. Now in its 16th year, the festival is a community celebration of the arts within one of the most beautiful and historic precincts of Mumbai, the Kala Ghoda Art District. The festival has grown exponentially, and
is hugely successful, drawing over
1,50,000 people from all over the city and
beyond to 350 events over nine days.
Where: Multiple venues, Mumbai
When: February 7 to 15, 2015
India Bike Week
What: The India Bike Week is considered to be a bikers’ heaven, which gives them an opportunity to get indulged in the pure sphere of biking, by meeting bikers from across the globe, sharing their personal stories, experiences and knowledge with them and participating in fanciful events. The tickets for the third edition of the fest are already on sale and can be had for R3,000 onwards. Just like the last two editions, Harley-Davidson will be the principal sponsor of the event for
this edition as well.
Where: Vagator, Goa
When: February 20 and 21, 2015

If you are keen to know more about Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex levels and seek expert advice on what’s driving the gains and how to build your portfolio, track the latest stock market stats, share market news and top brokerage bets on Financial Express. Download the Financial Express App for the fastest and most reliable business news alerts, key investment strategies and latest movers and shakers from across financial market.

First published on: 02-11-2014 at 02:00 IST
Market Data
Market Data
Today’s Most Popular Stories ×