Popular city festival, An Indian Summer, is back for 2024. Celebrating contemporary South Asian arts and culture, An Indian Summer returns from 9 – 11 August. Visitors will be able to enjoy a packed weekend of events as the festival produces its most vibrant and eclectic programme to date.
An Indian Summer’s mission is to celebrate the shared culture between the Indian subcontinent and the UK. This radiates through their 2024 event programme, as they take over the city centre for events ranging from Bollywood Outdoor Cinema to Drag & Cabaret.
The Festival Day will also be returning to the Cultural Quarter, as visitors can look forward to creative workshops for people of all ages, storytelling, a wellbeing zone, outdoor street cricket, spoken word, sizzling street food from Bangladesh and a festival after party.
This year’s headline performance comes from the genre-defying Orchestral Qawwali Project will are bringing Sufi music to Curve on Saturday 10 August for a special, one off and intimate showing as part of the festival. Widely regarded as the biggest step forward for the art-form in decades, the Orchestral Qawwali Project has captivated audiences through its unique combination of Sufi poetry, Indian Classical dance and orchestral arrangements. Tickets for this performance are already selling quickly, with just a handful of seats remaining.
This year’s festival is expanding to 7 venues, including Curve, Phoenix, LCB Depot, Chutney Ivy, Sixes, The Real Ale Classroom and Brick & Beam. Plus Jubilee Square will once again be the host of An Indian Summer’s outdoor cinema, as they bring you a screening of Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani! Join them for this epic old-age love story in a new-age era, and join in a night of fun, food and film out on Jubilee Square. Tickets are free but space can be reserved in advance.
Elsewhere during the festival, visitors will be able to enjoy an incredible night of Drag & Cabaret at The Real Ale Classroom, a dine and film evening at Phoenix, screening Queen of My Dreams, Bangladeshi street food served from Chutney Ivy, and a Festival After Party at Brick & Beam.
With the events taking place across the Cultural Quarter, partner venues will each be running special offers over the weekend, from discounted cricket at Sixes to food and drink offers across the area. As part of An Indian Summer’s partnership with BID Leicester, visitors will also have the opportunity to win big prizes as part of the Festival Trail with LoyalFree.
Parmjit Sagoo, Executive Producer of Inspirate who curates and programmes An Indian Summer, commented, “Following the huge success of An Indian Summer in 2023 we’re delighted to be back once again with the sights and sounds of South Asian arts and culture, bringing together an eclectic programme of events. This year we’ve really taken the opportunity to open up the festival to new audiences, representing the breadth and vibrancy of contemporary South Asian creativity. Whether you come for the music, food, film or family fun, we look forward to seeing the city come together over the weekend.”
An Indian Summer takes place in Leicester from 9 – 11 August 2024. The full programme of events will be announced via indiansummer.org.uk or on An Indian Summer Instagram and Facebook pages.
*Cover photo of Nuper Arts at An Indian Summer 2023 by Pamela Raith.
