Kalakshetra Art Festival, 18–27 December 2026: Dance-Dramas and Concerts in Thiruvanmiyur
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Kalakshetra does December differently from the sabhas in Mylapore and T. Nagar. Instead of back-to-back kutcheris, its 73rd Annual Art Festival gives each evening to one main programme, and on six of the ten nights that is a full dance-drama staged by Kalakshetra Foundation itself. The festival runs for ten evenings, from Friday 18 December to Sunday 27 December 2026, at the Bharata Kalakshetra Auditorium on the Foundation’s campus in Thiruvanmiyur.
Two evenings are Carnatic vocal concerts, by Sandeep Narayan on 20 December and Ranjani–Gayatri on the closing night, so the festival works for music listeners as well as dance audiences.
Festival Details
| Dates | 18 to 27 December 2026 |
| Venue | Bharata Kalakshetra Auditorium, Kalakshetra Foundation, Thiruvanmiyur |
| Start time | 6:00 PM daily (ceremonies at 5:30 PM on the first and last days) |
| Tickets | Season pass and daily tickets on MDnD |
| Organiser | Kalakshetra Foundation |
Evening by Evening
| Date | Programme |
|---|---|
| Fri 18 Dec | 5:30 PM inaugural ceremony; 6:00 PM Rukmini Kalyanam, dance-drama by Kalakshetra Foundation |
| Sat 19 Dec | Panchali Sapatham, dance-drama by Kalakshetra Foundation |
| Sun 20 Dec | Carnatic vocal concert, Sandeep Narayan |
| Mon 21 Dec | Bharatanatyam, Meenakshi Sreenivasan |
| Tue 22 Dec | Meenakshi Vijayam, dance-drama by Kalakshetra Foundation |
| Wed 23 Dec | Koormavatharam, dance-drama by Kalakshetra Foundation |
| Thu 24 Dec | 6:00 PM Panchathanthra by Ananda Shankar Jayant; 7:45 PM Agrepashyami by Anitha Guha |
| Fri 25 Dec | Choodamani Pradanam, dance-drama by Kalakshetra Foundation |
| Sat 26 Dec | Maha Pattabhishekam, dance-drama by Kalakshetra Foundation |
| Sun 27 Dec | 5:30 PM concluding ceremony; 6:00 PM Carnatic vocal concert, Ranjani–Gayatri |
Programmes start at 6:00 PM unless a different time is shown. The schedule above is from the festival poster on Kalakshetra’s ticketing page.
Choodamani Pradanam and Maha Pattabhishekam, on Christmas Day and the evening after, are episodes from the Ramayana, so the two nights pair well if you can only come twice. Christmas Eve is the one night with two productions, by Ananda Shankar Jayant and Anitha Guha.
Tickets and Entry
Kalakshetra sells the festival through MDnD, with a season pass for all ten evenings and separate daily tickets. Prices are on the MDnD listing. After booking, the ticket arrives as a QR code by WhatsApp and email, and it is scanned at the door.
The ticketing page adds two practical notes: doors open 30 minutes before each programme, and the audience is asked to come in simple Indian attire, long trousers or formal wear. Read the full instructions on MDnD before you go.
Getting to Kalakshetra
The Foundation’s campus is in Thiruvanmiyur, close to East Coast Road, and the auditorium is inside the campus grounds.
- MRTS: Thiruvanmiyur station on the Beach–Velachery line is the nearest rail stop; take an auto from there.
- MTC bus: Thiruvanmiyur bus terminus is the nearest MTC terminus. Use the Chennai bus routes guide to find a bus from your area.
- Car or cab: a 6:00 PM start falls in the evening rush on OMR and ECR. Leave early if you are coming from the IT corridor.
For more of the December season, see Bharat Kalachar’s Margazhi Mahotsav in T. Nagar and the Music Academy’s 100th Annual Concerts, or browse all music events in Chennai.
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