Make The HIVE your summer playground this weekend, as you let yourself footloose at the 18th edition of the HIVE Community Festival at Khar
If you’re done with the run-of-the-mill art spaces in the city, head over to The HIVE on May 7-8, for a refreshing dose of alternative art and culture. The HIVE Community festival, which takes place on the first weekend of every month, will be running into its 18th edition this Saturday.
The big idea
Over the past two years, visitors have been seeing a melange of activities happening at The HIVE so we asked Sharin Bhatti, co-founder, The HIVE, to tell us what makes this edition different from the previous ones. “The idea of the festival is to have a two-day celebration of alternative art and culture. We typically work around a theme—the current theme being summer playground. So, we’re inviting kids, pre-teens, grown-ups including parents and grandparents to The HIVE to have their own play-time, which is typical of summer.” While art, theatre and music will rule the day, live performances promise to make the evenings better. A doodling workshop by psychotherapist Karishma Bajaj, a messy art workshop by Florence-based artist Shumi and a Paint without Brushes workshop by artist Deepti Kilje will keep you focused on the present. Then, there’s hand lettering, plays, stand-up comedy and more happening through the weekend.
Busking at The HIVE
Busking, as a concept, is not very popular in Mumbai, with the exception of Natural Streets for Performing Arts (NSPA), which is known for its folk-inspired performances on the streets, parks, railway stations, malls and other public places. The HIVE gives independent artists a similar platform to showcase their talent. “We have three outdoor spaces, with the biggest one at the café (ground) level. So, whenever you walk in, you’d find musicians or theatre actors performing live in the open. The gigs are free and you can pay the artists, if you wish to.” The Big Mic is The HIVE’s open mic event encouraging amateur artists as well as senior talent to experiment with new material. While Busking at The HIVE is more curated, open mic is more fluid.
Not just art and culture
The HIVE stands apart from other creative hubs for its stance on promoting alternative art and culture. But that’s not all that you can expect to see this weekend. Astrobiologist Pushkar Ganesh Vaidya, affiliated with the Indian Astrobiology Research Centre, will be conducting a capsule course on life in space. So, you can dive into subjects like the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe, space travel and the search for extra-terrestrial life. “We’ve done this two to three times and we always get curious crowds, wondering what’s going to happen,” shares Bhatti.
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 "File picture of The HIVE Community Festival")
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