Govandi Arts Festival is a cultural movement that celebrates the spirit and resilience of the people of Govandi through performative and visual arts. It is a community-led arts festival rooted in creative expression to reclaim the narrative about their neighbourhood, which is much more than just a ‘ghetto’. It has emerged from the community choosing to connect, create and celebrate with the rest of Mumbai. 

At the heart of the first edition, was a six months long mentorship program where creative professionals from five discipline - Theatre, Film, Photography, Public Art and Rap - were invited to engage and mentored young adults from different neighbourhoods of Govandi. Followed by a four month long artist residency program to create a safe space for emerging and established artists to collaborate with the residents to create site and community specific exhibits. 

The five day festival (15-19th February 2023) was filled with exhibitions, screenings, performances, workshops and stalls and culminated with a Lantern parade, true spectacle of joy and pride, facilitated by Lamplighters and made with the youth and children across Govandi. 

The first edition of Govandi Arts was part of the British Council’s ‘India/UK Together, a Season of Culture’, taken place in India and the UK from June 2022 to March 2023. It is brought together by Community Design Agency (India), Streets Reimagined (UK) and Lamplighter Arts CIC (UK) who bring their shared practice of using arts to inspire placemaking and bring diverse communities together.