Mumbai calling

The Mumbai Festival will also include a vintage car rally. Pic/VCCCI

When Mumbai was compelled to shutter in March 2020, we realised how much we've taken the little things in the city for granted. Late-night strolls and ice-cream at Marine Drive, vada pav at Churchgate station, idli-vada from the cycle vendors at BKC, street-shopping at the Causeway - the list can go on. While we were cooped up at home missing these experiences, the vendors, artistes, craftsmen and hotel owners, who make Mumbai what it is, were struggling to stay afloat. But, with the city unlocking in several phases and Mumbaikars adapting to the new normal, content curation venture Things2do and Maharashtra Tourism are kick-starting The Mumbai Festival from January 25.

Yash Rathi and Rahul Agrawal

Yash Rathi, co-founder and director, Things2do, tells us that the festival aims to help Mumbaikars inch back to the sights and sounds that they once cherished. Having curated local and hyper-local experiences in cities, Rathi shares that they now plan to extend the same approach to states. "We wanted to create that one festival which represents not just Mumbai, but also Maharashtra; something that Mumbaikars, citizens of Maharashtra and travellers from outside, too, will look forward to," he asserts.

With the city and the state's tourism industry suffering a blow in 2020, they tied up with over 1,000 local businesses, as the festival is "apun ke liye, apun ke Mumbai ke liye", Rathi elaborates. The festival, thus, offers an array of discounts on clothing, eating-out, travel and hospitality, wellness, etc, and on-ground events. "The hook for the user is that we're offering a near-free-of-cost experience; so, if you purchase an item or an experience from our portal, we will give you back unconditional vouchers nearly worth the same amount or arrange MTDC [Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation] stays," he explains.

The line-up for the 21-day festival also includes events like Fest-o-berry to celebrate all things strawberry; a sand art event where artists will recreate iconic state monuments to highlight the heritage of Maharashtra; a vintage car rally from SoBo to BKC; and a film festival, as part of which, they'll be screening much-loved films to celebrate Bollywood, which is synonymous with the city. "This year, the on-ground events will be limited due to COVID-19, but overall, we hope to turn this into an annual affair that showcases the best of Mumbai and Maharashtra," he says.

On: January 25 to February 14
Log on to: things2.do