The Weekend Guide

Bike past CST on the Old Mumbai Bicycle Tour.

FESTIVAL
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival
The annual South Mumbai cultural festival is back with one of its strongest line-ups in years, and it includes a much-welcomed series of food-related events. The opening weekend features everything from screenings of classic silent films (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Kid) and heritage walks for kids, to cooking demonstrations (The Table’s Alex Sanchez conducts one on Sunday) and a performance by British-Indian singer Susheela Raman. See here for a full list of our recommendations.
When: From Saturday, February 4. See here for details.
Where: See here for details.

MUSIC
SulaFest
SulaFest, the annual festival organised by Sula Vineyards, is as much if not more about the music as the wine. This year, it becomes a two-day event, with a line-up curated by Lower Parel club Blue Frog, the highlight of which is a performance by British-Indian genre-busting, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Nitin Sawhney, who tops a bill that’s pretty impressive even otherwise. Blackstratblues, Reggae Rajahs, Etienne Mbappe and Papon play Saturday, while Ankur Tewari, Soulmate, Sawhney, and Dualist Inquiry take the stage on Sunday.
When: Saturday, February 4 and Sunday, February 5, from 12.30pm to 10pm.
Where: Sula Vineyards, Nashik. A day pass is priced at Rs1,000, a festival pass is priced at Rs1,800. See here for more details.

OUTDOORS
Old Mumbai Bicycle Tour
Make the most of the good weather by signing up for Colaba eatery Woodside Inn’s bicycling tour around Fort, Colaba, Churchgate and Horniman Circle. A tour conductor will take just 12 people on an early morning jaunt around heritage landmarks, peppering the ride with trivia about Mumbai history. An added incentive? You’ll stop at Yazdani bakery to chow down on some of the Irani café’s offerings before concluding with breakfast at Woodside Inn (try the breakfast pizette, eggs served sunny side up on a six-inch pizza).
When: Sunday, February 5, from 7am to 11.30am.
Where: Meet at Woodside Inn, Wodehouse Road, near Regal Circle, Colaba. The registration fee is Rs1,650, and covers the cost of renting the bike, gear and breakfast. Call 2287 5752 to register. See the Facebook page for more details.

ALSO AROUND TOWN
• Attend A Homage to Abbaji, the annual day-long concert organised by Zakir Hussain in memory of his father, tabla player Allarakha Khan this Friday, February 3. This year, sarangi players and cousins Dilshad Khan and Sabir Khan, and sitar player Shahid Parvez will perform during the morning segment, which will begin, as is tradition, with a performance by the students of the Ustad Allarakha Institute of Music at 6.30am. The second segment, which begins at 11.30am,  will comprise a taal tapasya featuring nagada player Gopal Singh, tabla player Vibhav Nageshkar and thavil player Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam. British jazz and rock drummer Simon Phillips will perform in the evening session, which begins at 6.30pm and ends, again as is tradition, with a jam session led by Hussain. Admission is free, on a first-come, first-served basis. Shanmukhananda Auditorium,
 behind Gandhi Market, 
Sion (East). Tel: 2407 8888.

• Bust out your hat for the Signature Premier India Derby, which takes place this Saturday, February 4 and Sunday, February 5, from 1pm onwards, at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. In addition to the races, there will be musical performances through the day, including those by Lady Gaga and Britney Spears tribute acts. Tickets cost Rs350 and can be purchased at the venue. Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Tel: 2307 1401.

• Under The Mango Tree, an organisation that conducts bee-keeping programmes in Maharashtra and retails organic honey across Mumbai, will celebrate India’s first National Bee Day on Sunday, February 5, from 9.30am to 1.30pm. They’ve planned fun honey-bee awareness sessions for kids as well as grown-ups that include a cooking with honey demonstration by Rajiv Basak, the executive chef of Bungalow 9; a panel discussion on the role of bees in pollination; a bee spotting walk; a bee quiz and a painting competition. All events are free. Maharashtra Nature Park, opposite Dharavi bus depot, Dharavi. Tel: 98198 11951.

• Watch German rock group Fire On Dawson and Mumbai jam band Something Relevant perform a concert in support of child rights this Sunday, February 5, from 5pm onwards. Tickets for the gig, which will help raise funds for the NGO Cry, are priced at Rs100 and can be purchased at the venue. Institute of Chemical Technology, Nathalal Parekh Road, Matunga (East).