Celebrate Bandra Festival Opening Weekend Picks

The Mavyns.

In the eight years since the inaugural Celebrate Bandra festival, the suburb has got more crowded and chaotic but is just as, if not more, loved. The 2011 edition of the biennial festival, which begins on Saturday, November 12 and concludes on Sunday, November 27, will feature a daily mix of music, film, dance and theatre-related events (and a consequent increase in the suburb’s traffic as well). This year, the music segment of the festival is the strongest, with at least a couple of concerts being staged every day, something that might have to do with the fact that Celebrate Bandra is organised by Bandra-based event company Fountainhead, which is known for staging events such as the Mahindra Blues Festival. We’ll be giving you our picks of the gigs, plays and events to attend, starting this weekend. All events are free, unless otherwise specified, but you need to call 98202 33999 or 98203 72069 to reserve your free pass for the performances at the Lands Amphitheatre and the plays, which will be staged at the Hindustan Lever park on St. Paul’s Road.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12
OPENING CEREMONY
The opening ceremony of the festival will feature a performance of On Broadway, a concert of songs from popular musicals, first staged at Blue Frog in August 2010. The show, arranged by keyboard player and composer Merlin D’Souza and featuring the vocal talents of Asif Ali Beg, Delna Mody and Neuman Pinto, is a fun and campy romp through favourites from The Sound of Music through Avenue Q. The opening ceremony starts at 7.30pm at the Lands End Amphitheatre, Bandstand.

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
This group exhibition by amateur and professional photogs (including model Sheetal Malhar) will feature pictures of old Bandra homes and of everyday life in the suburb. Prints will be up for sale, with prices starting at Rs5,000. Until, Sunday, November 27. Opens at 7.30pm at Pali Village Cafe, next to Janata Lunch Home, Pali Naka, Bandra (West). Tel: 2605 0401. Daily, 12.30pm to midnight.

BANDRA WINE TASTING FESTIVAL
At the third edition of the wine festival, organised by the Pune Gourmet Club, an individual pass priced at Rs500 gets you ten 30ml tastings of wines from India, South Africa, Argentina, France, Italy and Spain. The food, which includes sushi, pizzas, pastas as well as Indian and Chinese fare, will be catered by Ninja Sushi, Ray’s Cafe and Pizzeria, and Koliwada, a multi-cuisine restaurant located inside D’Monte Park. For more pricing information, see here. Until Sunday, November 13. D’Monte Park Recreation Centre, Bandra Gymkhana, St. Andrews Road, Bandra (West). Tel: 88060 05050.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13
CYCLE FOR BANDRA
If you own a cycle and have the will to wake up early on Sunday, then show up outside Otters Club on Carter Road at 7am for a 11km ride through Bandra. The route will take you past Turner Road, towards Bandra station, on to Linking Road, S. V. Road and St. Paul’s Road. The ride will culminate at Out of the Blue, a Continental restaurant off Carter Road, where participants will be served a free breakfast. Registration will take place at 7am outside Otters Club, near Jogger’s Park, Carter Road. The ride will begin at 7.30am.

CHILDREN’S HERITAGE WALK
Sign up your kids for a fun tour of Bandra, conducted by David Cardoz, an architect and member of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee. The walk will begin at Bandra Fort at the edge of Bandstand. Other stops include Mount Mary Church, St. Stephen’s Church on Mount Mary Hill and St. Andrew’s Church. During the walk, Cardoz will talk about the Portuguese influence on the suburb, the history of the churches and the physical changes that Bandra has seen over the past 400 years. The walk, which is for kids aged five and above, will begin at 7.30am outside the Lands End Amphitheatre, Bandstand.

PETER CAT RECORDING CO. AND THE MAVYNS
In case you miss their performance at Mehboob Studios this Saturday, you can catch New Delhi-based cabaret folk/gypsy punk band The Peter Cat Recording Co. at their festival performance on Sunday, where their set will be followed by one by The Mavyns, the Mumbai-based indie rock group whose music is equally influenced by the psychedelic rock of the 1960s as by the garage rock of the noughties. 7.30pm at the Bandstand Promenade.