Monsoon might be drawing to a close, but it’s still raining events in Maximum City this October with Halloween, Oktoberfest and Diwali all rolling in back-to-back. Get nocturnal at midnight cycling sessions, have your reality altered at a mind-bending new museum, attend a concert, or dance the night away, try your hand at cooking and painting. Just let our guide of 24 things to do in Mumbai this October lead the way.
1. Say your piece at an open-mic night
Are you a budding poet, singer, comedian or rapper? Adagio is hosting an open mic night for fresh talent to make their mark in a non-judgmental space this October. You can join the line-up and garner a round of appreciative snaps and claps, or enjoy sitting in the audience and appreciating others.
📅: October 11; 8pm
🎟️: Tickets cost INR 100 per person
📍: Adagio, Shop No 4, Maitri Kunj Co-operative Society, Postal Colony Road, Chembur
2. Become pen pals with strangers at this letter-writing meetup
Hate small talk and crave deep connection in friendships? This nostalgic little meetup introduces strangers and fosters friendship the old school way – through handwritten letters. Find more details here
3. Watch A Movie While Floating Inside a Pool At India’s Only Dive-In Cinema
Sunset Cinema Club is bringing back their Dive-In Cinema screenings to Mumbai this October. Watch the upbeat rom-com Love Aaj Kal sitting inside a pool. More info about Dive-In Cinema here
📅: October 25; 7pm
🎟️: Tickets cost INR 100 per person
📍: Hilton Mumbai International Airport Hotel
4. Celebrate Indian dance forms at this dance festival
The NCPA Nakshatra Dance Festival is a three-day festival that honours India’s rich classical dance heritage. Star choreographers and dancers – cultural nakshatras – from around the country take the stage each day, highlighting different art forms like Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Mohinattam and Mayurbhanj Chau. Each show features intricate choreography that tells poignant stories from the Mahabharata to folk tales of female empowerment.
📍: Experimental Theatre, Jamshed Baba Theatre at NCPA, Nariman Point
📅: October 30, 31 and November 1
🎟️: Tickets from INR 200 per person onwards, get them here
5. Whip up a storm at a Korean cooking class
After all the K-Dramas you’ve binged, it’s time to binge on some dramatically good Korean food and learn how to make it while you’re at it. Culinary Craft is hosting a vegetarian Korean street food culinary workshop that teaches how to make two iconic dishes -Tteokbokki rice cakes and japchae glass noodles. Leave with printed recipes to recreate these dishes at home.
📍: Culinary Craft, Powai Plaza
📅: October 25
🎟️: Tickets from INR 900 per person
6. Paint with puppies at this adorable art workshop
Move over puppy yoga, we’ve discovered something even cuter – a painting class with puppies! These furballs will be up for adoption and proceeds from every ticket will go towards animal welfare initiatives. Let their zoomies and wagging tails inspire your masterpieces. This Paint with Puppies event is conducted by Pawga, India’s first pet yoga organisation, which gets indie dogs forever homes through fun events and helps shelters raise funds.
📅: October 25
🎟️: Tickets from INR 950 per person, get tickets here
📍: Anokhi Garden, Khar West
7. Spin away all your worries at a midnight cycling class
Mumbai Midnight Cycling sessions are a perfect end-of-week de-stresser. Cycle through the busiest roads and streets of South Mumbai in the dead of night when they’re empty and calm. You’ll pedal past CMST, Asiatic Library, Flora Fountain, Haji Ali, Marine Drive and other iconic locations while gulping in lungfuls of fresh sea breeze. Bikes, snacks, water bottles and fun games are included. Book tickets here
📅: October 11-25; every Saturday 10:#0pm
🎟️: Tickets from INR 399 per person with own bike, INR 749 with bike included
📍: Meeting point is Colaba Causeway
8-9. Spend an evening at a Candlelight Concert in Mumbai
One of Hindi cinema’s most prolific singers, Arijit Singh, will be paid tribute at a Candlelight Concert this October. If you’re a fan of British band Coldplay or singer Ed Sheeran, then there’s also a Coldplay vs Ed Sheeran concert that’s right up your alley. Live musicians will play instrumental renditions of popular singles such as Arijit’s Kabira, Coldplay’s Paradise and Ed Sheeran’s Sapphire. Get tickets via the links below
🕯️Candlelight: Coldplay vs. Ed Sheeran
🎼 Candlelight: Tribute to Arijit Singh
10. Sooth your soul at Papon’s ghazal concert
Assamese playback singer and music producer known for ballads like Moh Moh Ke Dhaage, Kyon (Barfi), Bulleya (Sultan) is touring India this year with gigs in multiple cities, including Mumbai. His Shaam-e-Mehfil concert sees him perform a collection of his own ghazals and those by maestros, followed by a selection of his own Bollywood hits and hsis covers of classics.
📅: October 11; 8pm onwards
🎟️: Tickets from INR 3,299 per person
📍: Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, Mumbai
11. See mind-bending sights at the Paradox Museum
After mesmerising Miami, Las Vegas, Barcelona and Shanghai, the Paradox Museum has arrived in Mumbai! 50 interactive exhibits at this new experiential museum will defy concepts of physics and challenge your perspective of reality. 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
📍: Shreeniwas House, 27, H Somani Marg, Azad Maidan, Fort
📅: October 4- December 1
🎟️: Tickets from INR 500 per person
12-21. Enjoy these Oktoberfest events in Mumbai
Mumbai becomes Munich this October with an array of Oktoberfest deals around town that celebrate the more than 200-year-old German festival of beer and Bavarian cuisine. You’ll find matcha beers, cocktails, delicious pretzels and bratwursts and a ton of live music and games here. Find our list of the best Oktoberfest events in Mumbai
22. Celebrate Diwali in style in Mumbai
Whether it’s shopping tips, dining offers or tickets to the coolest Diwali parties around town, the festival of lights will be lighting up Mumbai like a Christmas tree well before Christmas. And we’re here to plug you into the electric energy of it all with our Diwali guide.
23. Attend the spookiest Halloween events in Mumbai
We can’t wait for the hair-raising ghost tours, killer costume parties and overall atmosphere of eeriness that Mumbai experiences during the Halloween season. Bookmark this link so you’ll know about the best parties and dining deals as soon as they debut.
24. Claw your way into this Crab and Wine Festival
Feeling crabby this weekend? Mumbai’s iconic Mahesh Lunch Home is hosting its annual Crab and Wine Festival with free wine! You can drink up the best of wines from Sula Vineyards while cracking open freshly caught crustaceans cooked in spectacular gravies and blends – Andhra Chilli Crab, Mustard Crab, Roast Crab and a bunch of other lip-smacking dishes. More info here