Kalaa Utsavam, Esplanade's Indian Festival of Arts, marks its 25th edition from Friday 20 to Sunday 29 November 2026. Producer V M Sai Akileshwar's official programme note lists 13 productions across dance, theatre, music, comedy, workshops and free public-space work. Early-bird tickets run from 24 September to 7 October 2026. After that, standard prices apply. Some titles take Culture Pass credits. The festival lives at Esplanade, a short walk from City Hall and Esplanade MRT, so it sits on the same waterfront strip as Marina Bay Sands rather than in Little India.
What 25 years actually changed in the line-up
Esplanade producer David Pandarakannu told The Straits Times the 2026 edition is built to keep younger audiences who first showed up for 2025's Rabbit And Friendz, a sold-out night that was not Culture Pass-eligible. That is why Dialled In, a London-based South Asian platform, debuts at Annexe Studio on Saturday 21 November from 6pm. SISTIC lists the night at S$70, duration about 540 minutes, with a live set by Arundhita and DJs Raaj, Tashasan, Jhumka, Bhai Bhai Soundsystem, Parimal Shais, Lush Lata and Arthi. The Straits Times says the room runs to 3am. If you have never been to Esplanade for a club night, this is the one on the calendar.
The other end of the same week is still classical. Songs of the Bulbul, Aakash Odedra Company's kathak and Sufi dance-theatre work, opens the festival on 20 November. Tickets from S$39.60. Ether to Earth, a reworking of Muthuswami Dikshitar's Pancha Bhootha Kritis with vocals by Ashwath Narayanan and Dr Brindha Manickavasakan, plays Singtel Waterfront Theatre on 22 November at 5pm, S$40. Bharathaa Arts stages Indru Pudhidhai Pirandhom, Today We Are Born Anew, a bharatanatyam work drawn from Subramania Bharati, on 27 and 28 November at Theatre Studio, S$38. SIFAS runs a parent-child bharatanatyam workshop, Sahachara, on 28 November from S$40.
Six Singapore shows sit next to the headliners
Pandarakannu's point to ST was blunt. Local groups go through Esplanade's Raga series first, then they share a festival bill with overseas names. Six home-grown productions made that cut this year.
HuM Theatre restages Rafta Rafta from 18 to 22 November, tickets from S$57.20. Interracial newlyweds Atul and Weilin share a roof with overbearing parents. The dates start two days before the festival banner, so book it as the opening comedy if you are already in the Bayfront area that week. Rishi Budhrani and KP Sandhu's Bedok to Bollywood, 27 and 28 November at Recital Studio, S$50, is an interactive dramedy about two Singaporeans chasing film work in Mumbai. Mahogany Journal, co-founded by Prasanthi Ram and Jaryl George Solomon, presents A Very Mahogany Wedding on 20 November, tickets from S$29, a staged reading that looks at the gap between a South Asian wedding's spectacle and what it feels like in the room. TerryandtheCuz's Kaadhal Tholvigal, The Failed Romances, 21 and 22 November from S$39.60, is a Tamil cinema cabaret about love and heartbreak. Grace Kalaiselvi's Paati's Spice Kitchen, 21 and 22 November from S$40, is the family title, a sensorial kitchen piece for children. Brahmastra Ensemble closes 29 November at Recital Studio with The Final Act of the Decade, from S$33.40, a 90-minute concert that also launches a new album by Niranjan Pandian.
Bollywood, stand-up and how to buy
Sachin-Jigar Live, with Divya Kumar and Shraddha Mishra, is the Singapore debut of the composer duo behind Apna Bana Le, Saibo, Aaj Ki Raat and Tere Vaste. Saturday 28 November, 8pm, Esplanade Theatre, about two hours, Hindi, no interval. SISTIC prices S$70 to S$150. Esplanade's own page lists tickets from S$58.10, which is the early-bird band before 7 October. Biswa Kalyan Rath's stand-up show Inventions is on 20 November from S$41.50. Malayalam singer-songwriter Job Kurian plays 27 November from S$52.80.
Principal sponsor is Malabar Gold and Diamonds. Free music, dance and community programmes will use the concourse and outdoor spaces. Those free listings usually appear closer to the festival on the Esplanade site. For paid shows, buy through SISTIC or Esplanade's pages under esplanade.com/kalaautsavam. Esplanade and Me members get early-bird specials. Box office hours are 12 noon to 8pm. Esplanade is 1 Esplanade Drive. From City Hall MRT the walk is sheltered and about 10 to 15 minutes. Esplanade station on the Circle Line is closer. If you are already at Bayfront for Gardens by the Bay or Marina Bay Sands, one stop on the Circle Line gets you to Esplanade.
Practical Details
- Dates: Friday 20 to Sunday 29 November 2026. Rafta Rafta also plays 18 to 22 November
- Time: Various, from afternoon family shows to Dialled In into the early hours of 22 November
- Venue: Esplanade, Theatres on the Bay, 1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981
- Nearest MRT: Esplanade CC3 or City Hall NS25/EW13
- Price: Free and ticketed. Early bird until 7 October 2026. Paid titles from about S$29 to S$150
- Website: Kalaa Utsavam 2026 at Esplanade
