India Now - a celebration
of India in London
 This summer London will host ‘India Now’, a three-month season celebrating London’s strengthening relationship with India and also exploring India’s culture and its contribution to London life. It will take in events, activities and festivals across the capital dedicated to Indian art, film, food, theatre, music, fashion, and business.
The season will be in launched in style on Tuesday 17th July at a stunning event attended by a selection of famous Indian and London cultural ambassadors. Londoners should get down to the South Bank on the morning of the 17th to witness this eye-catching launch, a spectacle which will visually embody the special relationship between London and India.
India Now will feature several key events, one of which will be a three-week Indian-themed Trafalgar Square Festival commencing on the Thursday 2nd August. The famous square in the centre of London will see spectacular Indian and Indian-related outdoor events. Audiences will be transported to India with a series of installations, specially painted photo booths from Delhi-based Xylem Papercraft, mouth-watering temporary restaurants, evocative incense and intriguing crafts stalls.
As part of the Film 4 Summer Screen and in celebration of the India Now season, on Thursday 9th August the Bollywood production Chak De India will premiere at Somerset House. The film features Indian super-star Shah Rakh Khan as a coach who is fighting his personal demons as he takes a motley group of girls to the pinnacle of world hockey. The magnificent 18th century house will be transformed into a full-scale open-air cinema with a state of the art giant screen, 35mm projection and surround-sound.
In the final week of the Festival, on Thursday 16th August a specially commissioned Bollywood display will see a giant canvas painted live by Mumbai poster painters who will re-imagine London as an Indian city at the foot of Nelson’s Column. In an exciting collaboration between the poster painters, London-based choreographer Joan Pires, composer Niraj Chag and the French aerial company Les Passagers, a spectacular vertical Bollywood dance extravaganza performed by a team of fearless aerialists will be played out against the background of this extraordinary vividly painted giant poster.
Sunday 2nd September sees Regent Street, one of London’s premiere shopping streets, transformed into an Indian streetscape complete with music, spectacular sculptures, food and artisans for the annual Regent Street Festival. One of the capital’s most impressive and imposing thoroughfares will be transformed with beautifully designed street decorations from award-winning artist Sumant Jayakrishnan whose theatre based designs recently wowed London audiences at the Roundhouse in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
Over 150 of London’s cultural organisations and attractions will participate in the ‘India Now’ season which will showcase India’s contribution to world culture, its rich tradition and most importantly raise awareness and celebrate new Indian trends across art, film, theatre, food, music and fashion. Both invited Indian artists and London-based artists will be involved in the events.
For more information please visit www.visitlondon.com/india
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