Kalaa Utsavam turns 25 with a Bollywood night at Esplanade

A quarter-century is a good excuse to go big, and Esplanade has booked a Bollywood night to prove it.

Book the Sachin-Jigar night if you know their songs, and plan at least one free evening by the bay whether you buy a ticket or not. The 25th Kalaa Utsavam runs from 20 to 29 November at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, spreading music, dance, theatre and comedy across ten days, and a fair bit of it costs nothing. The building turned 24 on 12 October, so its Indian festival of arts has been part of nearly every year of its life; alongside Popaholic, da:ns focus and Voices, it is one of the fixtures of the calendar.

The headline is a Bollywood night with the composing duo Sachin-Jigar, making their Singapore debut. If you don't know their songs, it is still the easiest way into the festival's most crowd-pleasing side.

Dance fans get Aakash Odedra Company twice: the dance-theatre work Songs of the Bulbul on 20 November, then Ether to Earth on 22 November. Carnatic music is on the programme too, for anyone who would rather spend the evening on a raga than a remix.

HuM Theatre's Rafta Rafta runs from 18 to 22 November, starting a couple of days before the festival's official opening, so check the date on your ticket. The Esplanade-commissioned comedy Bedok to Bollywood plays on 27 and 28 November; the title alone does a fair bit of the work.

You don't need a ticket to join in. Esplanade says its public spaces will host free music, dance and community programmes throughout the festival, on top of the free performances it already promises every day of the year. Esplanade (Circle Line) and City Hall are the nearest MRT stations. Book the ticketed nights you care about early, then let a walk after work turn into a whole evening.

Good to know 20–29 November 2026 at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, 1 Esplanade Drive (nearest MRT: Esplanade or City Hall). Free programmes run in the public spaces throughout. Check Esplanade's official site for ticketed shows, times and prices.

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Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay | 1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981