March madness in Mumbai is partly the start of prickly hot summers and partly from a social calendar of events hot enough to give the humidity a run for its money. There’s so much to keep you busy from colourful Holi parties to the onset of Ramzan and the scintillating cricket season in full swing with the ICC Champions Tropy tournament. Here’s our pick of the top 10 things to do this March in Mumbai.
1. Burn some calories at the Pokémon Run
The mesmerising world of Péokmon spills over from screens and onto the streets of BKC. This fun run will feature 2k and 5k courses themed with characters and elements from the Pokémon world. Additionally, there’s a Zumba event, a Pikachu parade and plenty of other fun activities to keep you entertained. Register here
📅: March 2
📍: Jio World Garden, BKC
🎟️: INR 600 per person aged 12 and older; INR 400 per child below 12 years of age
2. Attend the world’s largest travelling film festival
The Jagran Film Festival (JFF), the world’s largest film festival, is making its Mumbai pitstop in March. Cinephiles and aspiring actors and filmmakers should hotfoot it to this 4-day event as it’s packed with casting sessions with top casting directors like Mukesh Chhabra and Shruti Mahajan, screenings of critically acclaimed short films and feature films and a chance to meet and greet your favourite Bollywood celebs. You can also sign up for exclusive theatre panels like by acting school Let’s Act. Book here
📍: Fun Cinemas, Cinepolis, Andheri West, Mumbai
📅: March 6-9
🎟️: INR 500 onwards per person
3. Laugh out loud with Louis C.K.
Emmy Award-wiining comedian and actor Louis C.K. is bringing his standup tour titled Rididculous to Mumbai this March. Known for shows like Louie and films American Hustle and Fourth of July, C.K.’s self-deprecating dark humour has previously sold out NYC’s Madison Square Garden and garnered him Grammys and a Peabody Award.
📍: Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium, Sion
📅: March 6; 7pm
🎟️: INR 999 onwards per person; get tickets here
4. Make a dash for it at India’s first inflatable race
The Great Inflate Run is going to put the fun in fun runs this March with 3k and 5k courses that will feature a variety of inflatable obstacles. Think giant bouncy castles meets Takeshi’s Castle. The event will feature upbeat, festive vibes with live music, food stalls and lots of games and activities.
📅: March 9; 6:30am
📍: Mumbai University Ground, Churchgate
🎟️: INR 1,499 onwards per person, get your tickets here
5. Challenge your reality at Paradox Museum
The Paradox Museum has been wowing Mumbai residents with 50 interactive exhibits that challenge the principles of physics and create trippy, mind-bending visuals. You’ll float inside the zero-gravity room, snap pictures in spaces where you disappear, appear taller or shorter and attempt to walk without falling through a spinning vortex tunnel that isn’t moving! Get tickets here
6. Chat with Mona Lisa at the immersive Da Vinci art exhibition
The award-winning experience Da Vinci: Genius has landed in Mumbai and offers fascinating insights into the artist and inventor’s brilliant mind. Combining cutting-edge floor-to-ceiling projections that bring paintings and writings to life, AI-based features like chatting with the Mona Lisa make this an engaging way to learn about the 16th-century polymath. Maybe we’ll finally unearth the secret behind that Mona Lisa smile. Book tickets here
📍: NESCO Exhibition Centre
📅: Ongoing
7. Catch Sunset Cinema Club’s outdoor movie sessions
The Sunset Cinema Club’s SkyCinema and Picnic Cinema sessions of outdoor movie nights in Mumbai are wrapping up this March before the heat picks up. An array of Hindi and English rom-coms will be screened under starry skies in a rooftop setting or picnic ambience amidst lush greenery. Watch open-air screenings of Age of Adaline, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, About Time, Rockstar and others while you plop down on comfy bean bags or mattresses.
📅: March 1-March 22
📍: Multiple locations across Mumbai
🎟️: Starting from INR 500 for SkyCienma and INR 600 per person for Picnic Cinema, get tickets here
8. Celebrate India’s diversity at the Carnival of Culture
Celebrate the rich variety of India’s regional traditions, languages, music and food at the Carnival of Culture. This one-day event features live musical concert by 15+ musical artists from different cultural backgrounds, immersive art installations, fashion showcases displaying the craftsmanship of Indian karigars and heritage textiles and rapes, and flavours of regional cuisine from all around our 28 states.
📍: Rangasharda Auditorium, KC Marg, Nityanand Nagar, Reclamation, Bandra West
📅: March 16
🎟️: INR 399 onwards per person; get tickets here
9. See Arijit Singh live in concert
Bollywood’s voice of romance aka Arijit Singh, is set to make Mumbaikars swoon this March with a concert. This is said to be the playback singer’s biggest live production and will be a larger-than-life experience fans shouldn’t miss. Hear him perform his biggest chart toppers, from love ballads like Sajni and Channa Mereya to dance numbers such as Dilli Wali Girlfriend and Ghungroo. Get tickets here
📍: Jio World Garden
📅: March 23, 6pm
🎟️: Tickets from INR 13,500 per person; get tickets here
10. Rave away at the Zamna India music festival
Tulum’s tropical vibes will be recreated in Mumbai at the Zamna India music festival. This Indian edition of the renowned electronic music festival Zamna is back in the subcontinent with a killer line-up of the best DJs and artists from the world of techno and deep house. Swiss DJ duo Adriatique, Brina Knauss, Toto Chiavetta, Vomee and Bigfett B2B Wurtz are the headliners.
📍: NSCI Dome, Mumbai
📅: March 28; 6pm onwards
🎟️: INR 2,299 onwards per person; get tickets here
11-20. Attend a vibrant Holi party in Mumbai
March equals Holi, and this year, Mumbai is going all out to celebrate the festival of colours with a string of thrilling Holi events featuring the best DJs, food, and a riot of colours. Find our guide to Holi in Mumbai here.