The Best Events Across India To Look Out For In September 2026: Ziro Festival Of Music, India Art Weekend And More

Now that the slower, rain-soaked stretch of the monsoon is nearing its end, the events calendar of the month is finally picking up. As the weather begins to ease in some parts of the country, galleries, concert halls, comedy venues and festival grounds are beginning to fill up again. From AR Rahman’s Sufi tribute and contemporary art weekends to a music festival in Arrunachal Pradesh, these are the events worth making plans around this month.

Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman takes over the NCPA stage for the first time with Sufiana Safar, a tribute to the mysticism and musical tradition of Sufi music. The concert brings together timeless qawwalis such as Man Kunto Maula and Dama Dum Mast Qalandar with Rahman compositions including Khwaja Mere Khwaja and Kun Faya Kun. For those inclined towards spiritual melodies, this offers a very different kind of concert experience.

When: Saturday, September 19, 6:30pm

Where: NCPA, Mumbai

The sophomore edition of Delhi Art Weekend, titled The Eighth City, looks at a capital that has been rebuilt seven times and remains a city in the making. The festival brings together artists, cultural practitioners and audiences across some of Delhi’s leading creative spaces, with programming spanning art showcases, retail pop-ups, workshops, master talks, panel discussions and live performances.

When: September 26-27, 2026

Where: Travancore Palace, Delhi

Vir Das’ Sounds of India is a nationwide theatrical comedy show built around the sounds that shape everyday life in the country. Das has described the show as a love letter to India, using sound as a thread connecting memories, places and people.

When: Various dates

Where: Good Shepherd Auditorium, Bengaluru; Karnataka State Open University, Mysuru; Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium, Kolkata

Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room takes on added significance following the Japanese artist’s death at 97 on August 14, 2026. Part of her landmark series that began in 1965, the NMACC installation features a mirror-panelled room with hundreds of LED lights suspended at varying heights, creating an illusion of an infinite universe.

When: Throughout September

Where: Infinity Room, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Mumbai

Abhishek Upmanyu returns with TOXIC, take on relationships, technology, Indian culture and the strange little contradictions of modern life, all filtered through the comedian’s distinctly irreverent perspective. The show turns familiar frustrations and everyday situations into material, making for an evening of stand-up rooted in the complexities of ordinary life.

When: Various dates

Where: Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Hall, Pune; MLR Cultural Centre, Whitefield, Bengaluru; Kedarnath Sahni Auditorium, Delhi

Set at 11,480 ft in Leh, Himalayan Basecamp brings together riders, climbers, hikers, kayakers, mountaineers and overlanders for three days of adventure in the high Himalayas. The programme includes motorcycling, 4WD overlanding, mountain biking, kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, bouldering, hiking, paragliding and high-altitude wellness.

When: September 4-6, 2026

Where: Chuchot Ground, Leh

The Mercedes-Benz Indian Padel Tour heads to Chandigarh with City Open Chandigarh 2.0, bringing three days of competitive padel to Clubb Canopy. Players can compete across men’s and women’s beginner, intermediate and advanced categories, with an additional 40+ category for men. Alongside a ₹2 lakh cash prize pool, the tournament offers guaranteed matches and IPT ranking points, making it an opportunity for players to compete as the circuit continues its expansion across India.

When: September 25, 2026

Where: Clubb Canopy, SAS Nagar, Chandigarh

Yashraj brings the fifth edition of NoCode to Bengaluru for a night built around independent music, experimentation and the freedom to move beyond genre boundaries. Taking over The Humming Tree, the lineup includes DHP & The Bandits and Robu alongside Yashraj. The event follows NoCode’s core premise of no genre, no dress code and no barriers between artists and audiences.

When: September 4, 2026

Where: The Humming Tree, Bengaluru

Dentist by profession and comedian by internet fame, Gaurav Gupta has built a following as Being Baniya, with more than 50 million views on YouTube and his Amazon Prime Video special Market Down Hai. His live show takes the observational comedy behind those viral clips to the stage, drawing on everyday situations and relatable humour while leaning into the comic’s self-deprecating persona. Expect a set that turns familiar Indian life into punchlines.

When: September 20, 2026

Where: The Laugh Casa, Rcube Monad Mall, Noida

Set against the pine forests and paddy fields of Ziro Valley, the Ziro Festival of Music has spent more than a decade building a stage for independent music and the local Apatani community. Its bamboo-built venues and sustainability-led approach create a more intimate alternative to large commercial festivals, with a lineup spanning indie rock, folk, electronic, jazz and global sounds. This year features Barmer Boys, Signal W, Gauley Bhai, Anna Erhard, and Lilanoor with Buried Treasures.

When: September 24 to 27, 2026

Where: Ziro Valley, Arunachal Pradesh

Chet Faker returns to India after a seven-year gap for a three-city tour supporting his latest album, A Love For Strangers. The Australian singer, songwriter and producer will bring his blend of electronic, soul, R&B and jazz-inflected sounds to venues in Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru. The tour marks a long-awaited return and an opportunity to hear material from his latest record alongside his established catalogue.

When: September 18 to 20, 2026

Where: DLF CyberHub, Delhi NCR; Phoenix Marketcity, Mumbai; Phoenix Marketcity, Bengaluru

The Yellow Diary takes its new In Case We Forget live show across four Indian cities this September, marking their biggest India tour yet. The set combines nine new songs from the latest chapter of the band’s music with favourites from across its catalogue, giving longtime listeners a mix of familiar tracks and material they may be hearing live for the first time. The run covers Gurugram, Jaipur, Indore and Bhopal over two weekends.

When: Various dates

Where: Gurugram, Jaipur, Indore, Bhopal