Mumbai to get its first classical music feast for Ganeshotsav since the festival received ‘State Festival’ status

Directorate of Cultural Affairs presents ‘Ganeshotsav 2026 Shastriya Sangeet Mahotsav’ from Sept 17-24; renowned artistes to perform

With Ganeshotsav now accorded the status of a ‘State Festival’, Mumbaikars will, for the first time, get to experience a dedicated feast of classical music as part of the celebrations. The Directorate of Cultural Affairs, under the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Maharashtra, Mumbai, has organised the ‘Ganeshotsav 2026 Shastriya Sangeet Mahotsav’. The festival will be held daily from 6.30 PM, from September 17 to 24, 2026, at the Mini Theatre, 3rd floor, Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi, Mumbai.

Ganeshotsav holds a significant place in Maharashtra’s cultural life, carrying a rich legacy of music, art, devotion and folk tradition. Following the grant of State Festival status, the Directorate of Cultural Affairs has been undertaking various initiatives to provide a wider platform for different art forms through the festival. As part of this initiative, the eight-day classical music festival will offer rasikas a melodious feast of vocal and instrumental recitals by eminent artistes. The festival’s central aim is to preserve and promote the tradition of classical music and carry it forward to the next generation.

Ganeshotsav has a long-standing tradition of cultural programming. Roughly between 1960 and 1980, mandaps of several public Ganeshotsav mandals across Mumbai regularly hosted classical vocal and instrumental recitals, natya sangeet and bhavsangeet performances, and lecture series, giving ordinary rasikas a chance to hear eminent artistes perform live during the festival itself. In the decades that followed, loudspeaker-driven film music, orchestras and DJ sets gained increasing prominence, and classical music’s place within the festival gradually receded. With Ganeshotsav now accorded State Festival status, the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, through this festival, is reviving that earlier tradition and bringing classical music back to the centre of the celebrations.

The day-wise line-up of performances and accompanists is as follows:

The festival will give rasikas a varied experience of classical music through its range of vocal and instrumental presentations.

The festival will be compered by Rani Verma, with planning and curation by Shashi Vyas, Director and Founder, Pancham Nishad. The festival’s key objectives are to preserve and promote the classical tradition of Maharashtra’s rich cultural heritage, provide artistes a platform, and offer music lovers a quality classical music experience.

This cultural initiative has been organised on the concept of Adv. Ashish Shelar, Minister for Cultural Affairs, Electronics, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence, and under the guidance of Dr. Kiran Kulkarni, Secretary, Department of Cultural Affairs. The Directorate of Cultural Affairs continues to undertake various initiatives for the preservation, promotion and dissemination of classical music, theatre, folk arts and other cultural art forms.

Entry to the ‘Ganeshotsav 2026 Shastriya Sangeet Mahotsav’ is free, and Shri Prashant Khedekar, Director, Directorate of Cultural Affairs, has appealed to music lovers in Mumbai and surrounding areas to attend this week-long music festival in large numbers.