May 25: Love, Wrinkle Free at Little Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, 6.30 pm, 22824567. 

May 25 – 27: Unlimited sangria at The Tasting Room, first floor, Good Earth, Raghuvanshi Mills compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel , 65285284, valid on two sessions from noon to 6 pm and 6 pm to 11.30 pm, Rs 400 per person plus taxes.

May 25 – 31: Quesadilla and Margarita festival at Bonobo, second floor, Kenilworth Mall, off Linking Road, near KFC, Bandra (W), 26055050, all margaritas priced at Rs 350.

May 26: Live from the Console featuring Harbour Light, Stella by Starlight, and The Ungulates at the Recording Theatre, Stage 5, Mehboob Studio, Bandra (W), 7.30 pm, view the Facebook page here, Rs 150.

May 26: Grand finale of The Bandstand Revival featuring Dharavi Rocks, Mumbai Police Band, Something Relevant & Friends and Rang at Dadar Chowpatty, behind the Mayor’s bungalow, Shivaji Park, Dadar, 5 pm, view the Facebook page here, free.

May 26: The Other People at Blue Frog, Mathurdas Mills Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, 61586158, 10.30 pm, Rs 500.

May 26: AR Rahman live in concert at DY Patil Stadium, DY Patil College, Nerul, gates open at 4.30 pm, Rs 400 onwards, book tickets online here.

May 26: Yoga workshop with Samanta Duggal at Temperance, St. Xaverian Court, Sherli Rajan Road, Bandra (W), 9833833270, 11.30 am to 2 pm, Rs 1,000. 

May 26 – 27: Bombay Underground’s extended pavement sale outside Al’s Tattoo Studio, 5 Natraj Shopping Centre, 68, Hill Road, Bandra (W), 9773361243, 5 pm to 8.30 pm, view the Facebook page here,

May 26 – 27: Fire-poi spinning workshop by Poitrix at H2O, Marine Drive, 6.30 pm, to register call 9819066376, view the Facebook page here, Rs 800.

May 27: Sunday roast at The Bar Above Yellow Tree Cafe, second floor, Yellow Tree Café, 33, Ambedkar Road junction, Bandra (W), 26487800/9820062122, 1 pm onwards, Rs 475 and Rs 650 for the vegetarian and non-vegetarian roast respectively. 

May 27: The Best in Stand-up Comedy featuring Amogh Ranadive, Ashish Shakya and Gursimran Khamba at The Comedy Store, 8.30 pm, Rs 600, book tickets online here.

There is indeed a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow this week, as the Kashish queer film festival returns in its third year in association with Bombay Dost, Solaris Pictures and The Humsafar Trust. Running from May 23 to May 27, the festival will showcase hundred and twenty films from thirty countries featuring France as its country of focus and will be screened at Cinemax Versova and Alliance Francaise (New Marine Lines). The best part: it’s open to all and costs close to nothing. Oui our family!

Rainbow Rendezvous

Opening night (May 23 at Cinemax Versova, 9.30 pm) will see a screening of Oscar-winning film Beginners (2010) starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer, however, this event is by invitation only. Other top draws at the festival (and open to all) are twenty-three full-length films featuring Gigola (France), set in the 1960’s underbelly of Paris (May 25 at Cinemax Versova, 8.30 pm and on May 26 at Alliance Francaise, 6.30 pm); Men to Kiss (Germany), a romantic comedy about a chaotic relationship (May 26 at Cinemax Versova, 8.30 pm); and August (USA), a drama about re-union after a painful break-up (May 24 at Cinemax Versova, 11 pm). There are also quite a few short film packages like Girls Shorts, Rainbow Warriors and Unfair Games, among others. Interesting is the new category of nine animated shorts titled QToons, one of which features a gay orange, and another is about The Happiest Gay Couple In All The World.

Window of Hope

Due to the overwhelming response that the festival has received this year, they have shut online registrations but are allowing spot registrations on May 24 at Cinemax Versova and Alliance Francaise, so get there early by 10.30 am to claim your delegate pass, which entitles you entry to all days of the festival. These spot registrations will be given against a small donation of Rs 100 which will go towards a peer HIV support group.

And finally, an LGBT festival without a party? That doesn't sound right. So to kick things off there’s a Kashish festival bar night organised at Banana Bar on Linking Road on May 24, where trailers of films from the festival will be screened and the community’s favourite hits by Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry will be played. Fabulous!

Getting there: Kashish Mumbai International Film Festival will take place at Cinemax Versova, Screen 1, third floor, Infinity Mall, Link Road, Andheri (W) from May 23 – 27 and at Alliance Francaise de Bombay, 40, Theosophy Hall, New Marine Lines from May 24 – 26, screenings at both venues will start from 10 am onwards, view the full schedule here, visit the website here, Rs 100 for spot registration on May 24 at Cinemax Versova, launch party at Banana Bar, Linking Road, Khar (W), 9.30 pm, Rs 400 entry for the bar night (includes a Carlsberg beer and a raffle draw ticket).

What: Bombay Underground’s pavement sale, outside Al’s Tattoo Studio, 5 Natraj Shopping Centre, 68, Hill Road, Bandra (W), call 9773361243 for more information or view the Facebook page here, books start at Rs 20.

Why: Garage bookstore Bombay Underground has shut shop, and is having its farewell sale on a Bandra pavement this weekend. Working the mean streets? While you say bye you can browse graphic novels, classics, Indian authors, self-published books, movie posters and film scripts. Bombay Underground’s Himanshu picks: Trainspotting script, Amelie poster and RK Narayan’s Malgudi Days.

When: Farewell to Alms on May 19 and 20 from 5 pm to 8.30 pm.

May 18 – 20: Unlimited sangria for Rs 400 plus taxes at The Tasting Room, Good Earth, Raghuvanshi Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, 65285284, valid on two sessions from noon to 6 pm and 6 pm to 11.30 pm.

May 18 – 20: The Bungalow’s Final Sample Sale (up to 75% off) at Bungalow 8, Grants Building, 17 Arthur Bunder Road, near Radio Club, Colaba, 22819880.

May 19: Unmute Agency Techno Takeover featuring Ash Roy, Anil Chawla, Dale Anderson and Arnold at Blue Frog, Mathurdas Mills Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, 61586158, 10.30 pm, Rs 500.

May 19: The Bandstand Revival featuring Rajeev Raja Combine, Chintu Bhosle and Paradigm Shift at Dadar Chowpatty, near the Mayor’s bungalow, opposite Shivaji Park, Dadar (W), 5.30 pm, view the Facebook page here, free.

May 19: Retro funk night at Cool Chef Café, Thadani House, 329/A Worli Village, Worli, 24301127, 9 pm.

May 19: The Comedy of Errors- play at Prithvi Theatre, 20 Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu, 6 pm and 9 pm, Rs 300, book tickets online here.

May 19 – 20: Through Different Eyes- photography exhibition by visually impaired children at St. Xavier’s College, 5 Mahapalika Marg, Dhobi Talao, noon to 6 pm.

May 19 – 20: Fire-poi spinning workshop by Poitrix at H2O, Marine Drive, 6.30 pm, to register call 9819066376, view the Facebook page here, Rs 800.

May 19 – 31: Quesadilla and Margarita festival at Bonobo, second floor, Kenilworth Mall, off Linking Road, near KFC, Bandra (W), 26055050, all margaritas priced at Rs 350.

May 20: Mumbai Wallbook- graffiti and wall painting initiative on the walls along Mahim to Matunga Western Railway line, starts at Mahim Station, Tulsi Pipe Road, 7 am, view the Facebook page here, open to all, free.

May 20: History of India- VIRitten at Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, 22824567, 6 pm, Rs 500 onwards, book tickets online here.

May 20: The Best in Stand-up Comedy featuring Anuvab Pal, Varun Thakur and Neville Shah at The Comedy Store, third floor, Palladium Mall, High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel, 43485000, 8.30 pm, Rs 600, book tickets online here.

May 20: New fortnight menu at Café Basilico, Sentinel House, next to Radio Club, Colaba, 66345670 and at St John Road, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), 67100000.

The journey that will bring Kaluram Bamnia and five more folk musicians from Madhya Pradesh to a Bombay drawing room next week began at the Jaisalmer Desert Festival, when Bollywood lyricist Shelley (he’s worked on movies like Dev D and Acid Factory) struck up a random conversation with a mangniyar singer. Soon after, Shelley heard from the guy again, who called to say that he had hopped onto a bus for Mumbai: “Just introduce me to musicians,” he requested.

Thus was born Food Friends & Folk Music, a super cool initiative conceptualized by a bunch of buddies to promote folk music in Indian metros. A matter of chant?

A Scale of Two Cities 

Food Friends & Folk Music, which will hold its first series of home-concerts in Mumbai from May 25 – May 27, works like this: the abovementioned group of friends, including Shelley, Star Plus actor Gurpal Singh, Anupama Bose from Phantom Films and a member of www.beatofindia.com, brings indigenous musicians to perform in Mumbai or Delhi. These concerts are usually held at private residences, don’t exceed more than forty guests, and include dinner. Guests are requested to contribute Rs 500 to cover costs and encouraged to mingle with other folk-music enthusiasts. 

Gurpal and his merry band(s) hope to eventually organize such events every month, inviting musicians from all over the country including Punjab, Assam and Kerala. 

May 11: International beer tasting workshop at Woodside- All Day Bar & Eatery, shop no. 11/12, Link Plaza, New Link Road, Oshiwara, Andheri (W), 26328963, 8 pm, view the Facebook page here, Rs 995 per person.

May 11: Friday bar night featuring great deals like buy-two-get-one-free on cocktails, beer buckets for Rs 800 and free shots for women at Trikaya, 6/11 Meera Apartments Juhu Versova Link Road, Seven Bungalows, Andheri (W), 65047177, 10 pm.

May 11: The Hoodwink Circle at Bistro Grill, Hotel Bawa Continental, Juhu Tara Road, opposite JW Mariott, 32108585, 9 pm, Rs 500.

May 11-13: Sale at lifestyle store Sanctum, Vasant House, 19th road, off Khar Danda Road, , Khar (W), 26495775. 

May 12: Screening of the movie Anarkali, near the Anarkali mural by Bollywood Art Project at Lala Lane, opposite Noronha Stores, Chapel Road, Bandra (W), 7 pm, view the Facebook page here, free.

May 12: Bawa Night at Cool Chef Café, Thadani House, 329/A Worli Village, Worli, 24301127, 9 pm, view the Facebook page here, Rs 300 up to 11 pm, Rs 500 post 11 pm (includes one beer).

May 12: Urban Culture Project featuring b-boying and beat-boxing workshops followed by performances by Sout Dandy Squad and Bombay Bassment among others at Blue Frog, Mathuradas Mills compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, 61586158, 6.30 pm onwards, Rs 500 entry post 9 pm.

May 12 - 13: Barbecue sets by Just BBQ’s on sale with live cooking demos, free beer and cooked meats at the backyard of bungalow 14C, Boran Road, opposite Elco Market, off Hill Road, Bandra (W), 65254573, 2 pm to 8 pm, free.

May 13: Wobble! featuring Bandish Project, Func and DJ Uri at Bonobo, second floor, Kenilworth Mall, off Linking Road, near KFC, Bandra (W), 26055050, 4 pm, free.

May 13: The Best in Stand-up Comedy featuring Jeff Innocent, Addy Van Der Borgh and Tom Wrigglesworth at The Comedy Store, third floor, Palladium Mall, High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel, 43485000, 8.30 pm, Rs 600, book tickets online here.

May 13: Class of ’84- play at St. Andrews Auditorium, St. Dominic Road, Bandra (W), 26513224, 7.30 pm, Rs 150 onwards, book tickets online here.

May 13: Special Sunday brunch at Café Pico at Le Mill, 17/25, Wadi Bunder Bridge, Nandlal Jani Road, Masjid Bunder Station, 23742419, 11 am onwards, Rs 800 plus taxes.

Okay, so the thought of browsing hot barbeque grills on a nasty summer day in a stranger’s backyard, sounds far from enticing. But throw in free chilled beer and an assortment of cooked meat, and suddenly you’ve gone from dismissing to considering.

Starting today, May 10, a bungalow at Boran Road, Bandra will host a four-day sale of barbeque sets that will also feature cooking demos by chefs, Foster's pints and pork chops on the house.

While the adorable cottage with blue fish tiles belongs to ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar (it also houses a dive shop), the idea comes from Pratap Arora, the man behind Kala Ghoda Wine Festival. Together they run Just BBQ’s, a company that imports all kinds of Australian grills. “The idea is to promote barbequing in India, whether you have an Alibaug vacation home or just a tiny kitchen with a window,” Arora tells us. Hence the grills – Sunc, Gasmate, Outcook - range from Rs 1,500 to Rs 55,000. Also available will be imported gas and charcoal, barbeque tools and accessories. The event will be on from 2 pm to 8 pm, with platters of pork chops, sausages, seekh kebab, hot and spicy drumsticks that you can help yourself to. Gourmands including Prahlad Kakkar will be conducting live cooking demos, so bring questions on marinating and grilling.

If you’re planning to visit, don’t expect a beer festival. We suggest you take only those buddies who are genuinely interested in getting grilled. The event is free but you have to pre-register on  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Getting there: Bunglow 14C, Boran Road, opposite Elco Market, off Hill Road, Bandra (W), register by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or view the Facebook page here, from May 10 – 13, 2 pm to 8 pm, free entry.

If you're going to Europe this summer, then you must have worked out some sort of exchange program, because Europe is coming to Mumbai. A month after the Indo-German Urban Mela, a whole bunch of cultural organisations and consulates have teamed up to celebrate Europe Day in Mumbai starting today, May 9.

Backed by Alliance Francaise de Bombay, the German Consulate, Mumbai, Rikskonsertene (Concerts Norway), Blue Frog and Sound Curry, this is the Urban Culture Project,  an initiative that aims to promote artistic alliances between Europe and India. From May 9 to 12, a series of free graffiti and b-boy dance workshops will break out at different venues across the city, culminating in a final music performance at Blue Frog on May 12. Here’s what’s in store:

May 9: Artists Rock (France) and René (Germany) will be painting a graffiti mural on Cool Chef Café’s wall. Anyone can go watch and interact with the artists while they create their interpretation of Europe Day. Cool Chef Café, Thadani House, 329/A, Worli Village, Worli Sea Face, off Bandra-Worli Sea Link, 32231199, 1 pm.

May 10 and May 11: Graffiti workshops will be conducted by Rock and René at Chapel Road, Bandra (W). B-boying workshops will be conducted by Roc Fresh Crew, BBoy Spaghetti (Norway) and Criss (Germany) at Andheri. Both workshops are free and open to all on May 10 and May 11. Graffiti workshops will be held from 1- 4 pm, to register email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call Prathmesh on 8898259809. B-boying workshops will be held at Little Raina Hall, bungalow No 73, Aaaram Nagar 2, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri (W), 4-7 pm, to register email call Ambarin 9768124026 or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

May 12: All the events on this day will be held at Blue Frog. An open b-boying jam will be conducted by Roc Fresh Crew from 6.30-8.30 pm. This will be followed by a beat-boxing workshop by Droolian (Norway) and Boxy Turvy. Boxy Turvy will then perform followed by Sout Dandy Squad, Bombay Bassment, DJ Uri. At Blue Frog, Mathurdas Mills Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, 61586158, 6.30 pm onwards, the b-boying jam and beat boxing workshops are free and open to all, Rs 500 entry post 9 pm.

Getting there: Urban Culture Project, view the Facebook page here.

May 4: Reggae Rajahs at Bonobo, Kenilworth Mall, off Linking Road, near KFC, Bandra (W), 26055050, 9 pm.

May 4: Bar night at Trikaya, Meera Apartments, Juhu Versova Link Road, Seven Bungalows, Andheri (W), 65021389, 10 pm.

May 4: Pink is the Navy Blue of India- exhibition by fashion photographer Norman Parkinson at Institute of Contemporary Indian Arts, 22/26 K. Dubash Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort, 22048138, 11 am onwards.

May 5: Shaa’ir + Func at Blue Frog, Mathurdas Mill Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, 61586158, 10 pm.

May 5: DJ Kutty Cool and Matz at Cool Chef Café, Thadani House, 329/A Worli Village, Worli, 24301127, 9 pm.

May 5: The Bandstand Revival featuring Life and Spud in the Box at Dadar Chowpatty, behind the Mayor’s bungalow, Shivaji Park, 5.30 pm, view the Facebook page here.

May 5: Bay Beat Collective and AlgoRhythm at Rude Lounge, opposite Globus, Hill Road, Bandra (W), 26400066, 9 pm, view the Facebook page here.

May 6: The Best in Stand-up Comedy featuring Sorabh Pant, Aditi Mittal and Tanmay Bhatt at The Comedy Store, 8.30 pm, book tickets online here.

May 6: Anything but Love! - play at Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, 66223737, 7.30 pm.

April 27: Liquid Soul at Blue Frog, Mathurdas Mill Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, 61586158, 10.30 pm.

April 27: Heart Beat featuring Bhavishyavani at Bonobo, Kenilworth Mall, off Linking Road, near KFC, Bandra (W), 26055050, 9 pm.

April 27: The Dangling Conversation - art exhibition by Boshudhara Mukherjee at Gallery Volte, 2/19 Kamal Mansion, near Radio Club, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba, 22041220, 12 pm onwards.

April 28: The Bandstand Revival featuring Blues No Bar and Blackstratblues at Hanging Gardens, entrance opposite the Malabar Hill Club, Kamala Nehru Udyan, Malabar Hill, 5.30 pm, view the Facebook page here.

April 28: Live from the Console featuring Divya Lewis, The Vernon Noronha Band, Duncun Rufus at the Recording Theatre, Mehboob Studio, Mt. Carmel Road, Bandra (W), 7.30 pm, view the Facebook page here.

April 28: Jug Chug Championship at The Little Door, ground floor, Shri Siddhivinayak Plaza, opposite Fame Adlabs, Andheri (W), 9892649040, to register call 9820004745, 9 pm, view the Facebook page here.

April 28: Pink is the Navy Blue of India- exhibition by fashion photographer Norman Parkinson at Institute of Contemporary Indian Arts, 22/26 K. Dubash Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort, 22048138, 11 am onwards.

April 29: Sunday sundown at Escobar, fourth floor, VN Sphere, off Linking Road, Bandra (W), 42760000, 5 pm onwards.

April 29: Motley Festival 2012: Waiting for Godot- play at Veer Savakar Sabhagruha, Shivaji Park, Dadar (W), 24465877, 8 pm.

April 29: The Bureaucrat- play at Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, 66223737, 7 pm, book tickets online here.