Mumbai

Mumbai has a lot to show off about. It’s not only India’s largest city but also the country’s cultural capital, home to Bollywood and mammoth institutions including the National Centre for the Performing Arts – named by locals as the city’s best cultural venue. The small but spectacular Prithvi Theatre also got the nod in our survey, alongside the annual Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, which sees artists, performers and craftspeople take over the creative enclave of Kala Ghoda. Mumbaikars praised their city’s culture scene as inclusive and diverse – it’s not hard to see why. 

‘Mumbai has timeless cultural institutions, such as the NCPA and the Kala Ghoda Festival, that have been celebrating India’s art, dance and music for decades,’ says writer and Mumbai local Soumya Gayatri. ‘At the same time, the city is also home to grassroots organizations like the Marol Art Village, which champions indigenous Indian art forms like Warli and Gond. I find this beautiful blend of the classic and the unconventional is what makes Mumbai’s culture scene truly unique.’