Living up to its ‘city of dreams’ sobriquet, the metropolis is all set to host the vibrant ‘Mumbai Festival 2024’. Starting from January 20, the nine-day long event will be an amalgamation of spectacular events ranging from arts to sports. Efforts are underway to hold a live screening of the Ram Temple inauguration in Ayodhya at the MMRDA grounds.

Hosted by the tourism ministry, the event’s catchphrase ‘Sapno ka gateway’ already gives a glimpse of the exciting and inspiring programmes headlining the festival. The star attractions will be TATA Mumbai Marathon, Kala Ghoda Art Festival, Lollapalooza India and Windmill Festival For Kids. Performances by Anupam Kher, Sara Ali Khan, culinary tips by renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor, beach yoga session by Art of Living and paramotor show will be other highlights. Icing on the cake is that the revelry will be captured by award-winning personalities.

To promote the concept of being eco-friendly, the event will also organise an e-waste collection drive, with SBI banks being drop points. The campaign will end on an artistic note as an eye-catching installation will be crafted from the collected items, and exhibited in the city.

Prominent businessman Anand Mahindra is the chairperson of the mega event’s advisory committee. “Mumbai is our heart. Its picturesque beauty is one of the unique points attracting tourists to the city. We hope that the festival unfolds as an outstanding event and sets history in the tourism industry,” said state tourism and rural development minister Girish Mahajan.

Mumbai city guardian minister Deepak Kesarkar noted that the event is not only towards public entertainment but will also drive the city’s progress.

In a similar vein, Mahindra said “I was initially skeptical about how we would come up with this grand event in such a short period, given the bureaucratic permissions and other reasons. Thanks to the government and the bear hug strategy, we succeeded in bringing well-known events under our banner.”

Sabbas Joseph from Wizcraft, an entertainment agency managing the fest, said that the event is a tribute to Mumbai heroes like dabbawalas, police, and bus drivers and conductors, who run the city that never sleeps. “The festival will alter tourists’ view about Mumbai and inspire them to visit and explore the richness of our homeland,” Mahajan added.

Star attractions

– TATA Mumbai Marathon

– Kala Ghoda Art Festival

– Lollapalooza India

– Windmill Festival For Kids

– Performances by Anupam Kher, Sara Ali Khan

– Culinary tips by renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor

– Beach yoga session by Art of Living

– Paramotor show