Mumbai will witness a rare blend of nature, culture and community this December as Aarey forest prepares to host its first full scale open air music festival. Known for decades as the city’s green lung, Aarey will now echo with melodies, dances and stories rooted in the land and its people. As per Hindustan Times reports, the three day Aarey Music Festival will be held from December 12 to 14, 2025 at the open air amphitheatre at Unit 5 in Aarey Milk Colony.
Unlike conventional city festivals, this initiative aims to shift how citizens view the forest, not merely as contested land, but as a living cultural space shaped by generations of communities.
A Celebration of Culture and Community
Instrument sessions will showcase the tarpa, the curved wind instrument closely associated with Warli culture, and the nadaswaram, a powerful reed instrument central to southern classical music. Audiences will also experience dance forms such as Mohiniattam and the Warli tarpa dance.
Workshops on origami, mural painting and board games will be conducted across the three days. Artists will create fresh murals and graffiti on the amphitheatre walls, blending urban themes with adivasi motifs and turning the venue into a living forest gallery.
Organisers Rooted in the Forest
The festival is being organised by a collective of environmental volunteers, artists, members of the Save Aarey movement and residents of Aarey’s villages. With free entry and a donate as you wish model, the organisers have already raised nearly Rs 3.5 lakh. Registrations may soon be limited to prevent overcrowding.
“This is the first initiative of its kind in Mumbai. Our theme is community, bringing people together through nature,” co organiser Vasudha Rajeev told Hindustan Times.
A Festival with a Message of Protection
The timing of the festival is significant. It comes months after fresh controversies over tree cutting, new construction and concerns over the residential rights of adivasi families. While there will be no protest banners, the act of gathering inside the forest itself sends a strong message of protection and belonging.
For Akash Bhoir, a farmer and third generation resident of Aarey as well as one of the organisers, the festival is an invitation for the rest of Mumbai to experience a world that remains largely unseen. He said the forest is not just land but a source of food, memory, livelihood and care for birds and animals.
A New Cultural Chapter for Aarey Although the amphitheatre has hosted small programmes in the past, this is the first time it will hold a multi day cultural festival of this scale. Organisers hope visitors will come for a peaceful experience, enjoy the performances and leave with a deeper understanding of the forest and its people.
Event Details
Aarey Music Festival
Date: December 12 to 14, 2025
Time: 8 am to 9 pm
Venue: Open Air Amphitheatre, Unit 5, Aarey Milk Colony, Mumbai
