Max Richter’s India debut and a literary festival headline Mumbai’s October culture calendar
From a first India concert by composer Max Richter to the Mumbai LitFest and a free Satish Gujral exhibition, here is what is scheduled in the city for the rest of October.
Mumbai’s cultural calendar for the second half of October is dense with music, theatre, literature and art, according to event listings published by Esquire India and Time Out Mumbai. The dates, venues and prices below are as given in those guides, and readers should confirm them with organisers before planning a visit, since schedules and ticket rates can change.
The most prominent music date is 24 October, when the German composer Max Richter makes his India debut with a live concert at the NMACC in Bandra Kurla Complex at 7:30 pm. Time Out Mumbai lists tickets from Rs 2,750. The same day, Esquire India lists the tenth edition of the HSBC Bollywood Music Project at Jio World Garden, with Hariharan, Shilpa Rao and Anu Malik among the performers.
Literature has its own slot. Esquire India reports that the 17th edition of Mumbai LitFest will run from 23 to 25 October at the NCPA in Nariman Point, with a theme centred on Marjane Satrapi’s graphic memoir Persepolis. On 24 and 25 October, IFP Season 16 takes place at Mehboob Studios in Bandra West, with Time Out Mumbai giving a ticket price from Rs 589.
Festival-season entertainment is also under way. The Navratri Utsav featuring Falguni Pathak is being held at the Jio World Convention Centre in BKC from 11 to 19 October, with tickets from Rs 2,200, Time Out Mumbai says. The Punjabi singer Gippy Grewal performs at the NMACC on 31 October at 7:30 pm, with tickets from Rs 1,250, according to the same guide.
For theatre audiences, Esquire India and Time Out Mumbai both list Manav Kaul’s Hindi play Traasadi at the NCPA on 15 October at 7:15 pm. Time Out Mumbai gives the price as Rs 450 plus GST for members and Rs 500 plus GST for non-members. Gaming and collectibles fans can look to GamingCon Bharat 2026 and Meeplecon at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon on 17 and 18 October.
Art lovers have a free option. Time Out Mumbai lists Satish Gujral: The Modernist Returns at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Fort, running from 9 October to 20 November without an entry charge. The same guide also lists Amores by Jose Zendejas Foyo at Anupa Mehta Contemporary Art in Colaba until 18 November.
Other cities also have programmes. Esquire India lists Vishal Bhardwaj’s ghazal evening Ibtida at Safdarjung Tomb in Delhi on 11 October, the BRICS Theatre Festival at Mandi House venues from 12 to 14 October, and Sonu Nigam’s The Revolution India Tour at Bhartiya Mall of Bengaluru on 24 October. Taken together, the listings show a busy run of live events in the weeks before Diwali.
