The Story Behind Kala Ghoda: Why The Black Horse Defines Mumbai’s Art Festival?

Mumbai: The Kala Ghoda Festival is one of Mumbai’s most iconic cultural celebrations which has been rooted in the city’s colonial past and its vibrant artistic present. The nine-day festival celebrated art, heritage, and creativity. The festival features visual arts, music, dance, theatre, literature, and more. This year, the 26th edition of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival will be held from Saturday, January 31 to Sunday, February 8, 2026. The festival once again transforms the iconic arts district into an open-air celebration that draws thousands of visitors daily.

Kala Ghoda Festival: Meaning and history

The name Kala Ghoda literally means “Black Horse.” It comes from a black stone statue of King Edward VII on horseback that once stood in the precinct near the present-day Fort, Mumbai. The statue was installed during the British era, but after Independence, a wave of nationalism led to the removal of British imperial statues. The bronze, black polished statue was removed in 1965 and moved to the Byculla Zoo (Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan). Despite the statue's absence for decades, the area remained known as Kala Ghoda.

In 2017, the Kala Ghoda association, which initiated the festival, commissioned a new, riderless black horse sculpture titled "The Spirit of Kala Ghoda" to mark the area's identity. The festival itself, however, is a much more recent tradition. It was first held in 1999, which was initiated by the Kala Ghoda Association (KGA). The association is a group of citizens, artists, architects, and conservationists. Their aim was to revive and preserve the heritage art district of South Mumbai and bring public attention to its historic buildings, museums, and cultural institutions.

Kala Ghoda festival celebrates the city’s rich culture

Kala Ghoda festival was initially a modest art and heritage event, but as many people became aware of it, the festival quickly grew in scale and popularity. Over the years, it expanded to include visual arts, theatre, dance, music, literature, film screenings, workshops, food stalls, and street performances. One of its key highlights is that it remains free and open to all, encouraging public participation and cultural exchange. The vibrant festival transforms the area around Jehangir Art Gallery, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, and Horniman Circle into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly cultural hub. Today, the Kala Ghoda Festival stands as a symbol of Mumbai’s cosmopolitan spirit, celebrating creativity, inclusivity, and the city’s rich blend of history and contemporary culture.

Asia's largest multidisciplinary street art festival

The Kala Ghoda Festival is widely recognised as Asia's largest multidisciplinary street art festival. Held every year in South Mumbai, the festival, which began in 1999 as a heritage event, now draws visitors in large numbers, not just from the city but from across the country and from the world.