Bengaluru is set to transform into a vibrant cultural canvas as the BLR Hubba festival returns for its second edition, promising an unprecedented celebration of the city's creative spirit. Scheduled from January 16 to 25, 2025, the festival will sprawl across the metropolis with over 250 events in more than 20 venues, spanning 12 diverse genres.
A Festival Designed for Every Bengalurean
V. Ravichandar, the chief facilitator of BLR Hubba, explains that the core philosophy this year is to offer the widest possible choice to the city's residents. The goal is to allow people to pick and choose experiences based on their specific interests. This commitment to diversity is the driving force behind the festival's unique structure, which branches into 12 distinct sub-festivals.
Each sub-festival focuses on a dedicated theme. These include Kala Hubba for visual arts, Kantha Hubba for music, Anubhava Hubba for immersive and interactive experiences, and Makkala Hubba curated specifically for children. Ravichandar sees such public festivals as essential soft infrastructure for a city often defined by its traffic, potholes, and tech startups. He believes they can quietly help reshape Bengaluru's image by demonstrating the power of shared spaces in an over-concretized urban environment.
"One of our key motivations is to show that Bengaluru is not just a tech and startup hub or a traffic-locked city," Ravichandar states. "We want to showcase a Bengaluru that is equally cool and dynamic in its arts and culture scene. Continuously reinventing the city is part of our mission, which is why we are pushing into numerous public spaces, despite the logistical challenges."
Art in Public Spaces: Interpreting Freedom
Having begun in 2024 at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC), the festival has now expanded into a sprawling citywide affair. The main hub is Freedom Park, with other key venues including Cubbon Park, the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), and neighbourhoods like Panduranga Nagar, Gavipuram, and Mahadevapura. Ravichandar notes that while they list over 20 venues, the actual gathering points for audiences total around 45 locations, aiming to create a collective experience for all.
For Kamini Sawhney, curator of the Kala Hubba (visual arts) segment, placing art in public spaces underscores her belief that "art is a right, not a privilege." This model reverses the traditional gallery dynamic by taking art directly into the community's spaces. Kala Hubba will feature 58 artworks, including video art, installations, and sculptures, displayed across Freedom Park, BIC, Panchavati (the heritage home of Nobel laureate Sir C.V. Raman), and Sabha.
The theme of 'Freedom' emerged organically from the history of Freedom Park itself, a former prison complex that is now the city's primary site for public protest. "It is profoundly ironic that a place of incarceration has become a space for protest," Sawhney observes. The commissioned, site-specific works by Indian and international artists explore freedom beyond the political lens—tackling themes of marginalisation, gender discrimination, bodily autonomy, mental liberation, and even freedom from noise and surveillance.
Interactive Experiences and Community Building
While Kala Hubba provokes thought, the Anubhava (interactive) Hubba encourages active participation. Attendees can join workshops like the Strangers' Choir for communal singing or experience sensorial journeys like 'First Hand' by Nitish Jain & Studio MoreThanThat. The festival also features heritage walks through historic areas such as Cottonpet and Nagarathpet.
Festival curator Nidhi Joshi states that the guiding principle was to make art fun and accessible. The lineup includes drawing workshops by Pencil Jam, puppetry sessions, and an immersive theatre production titled 'Blood Moon over Bengaluru,' all designed for intimate groups of 10-20 people. Joshi hopes these events will help Bengalureans discover unseen parts of their city, foster community, and, most importantly, offer a creative reprieve from daily life, inspiring people to "look up."
From rock music clashing with Kathak to street food meeting heritage trails and video art converging with AI-assisted mathematics, BLR Hubba 2025 is poised to be a monster-mix of culture, truly reflecting the diverse soul of India's tech capital.
