Kala Ghoda Arts Festival

Kala Ghoda (black horse), Mumbai’s art district, is named after a black stone statue of King Edward VII (as the then Prince of Wales) mounted on a horse. The name stuck even after the statue was moved in 1965 to storehouses of the Bhau Daji Lad Museum (formerly the Victoria & Albert Museum (Mumbai)) in Byculla, Central Mumbai. The statue is now at the Jijamata Udyan, Byculla.

A historically important place, Kala Ghoda is now known for the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, conducted every year since 1999 for nine days in February. The festival is organised by the Kala Ghoda Association, a non-profit organisation working towards physically upgrading the precinct, drawing attention to its beauty and history, and making it the Art District of Mumbai.

This colourful and vibrant festival is an amalgam of gallery and pavement shows, exhibitions, literary events, film screenings, music concerts, dance performances, theatre shows, workshops, heritage walks, a food fiesta, and a buzzing street festival that bring in participants and audiences from all over the country and outside.