Kalakriti · Bengaluru
A stage of their own, once a year.
Kalakriti is our arts festival for children from Bengaluru’s low-income communities. One Sunday in September, they sing, dance, paint and dress up in front of guest judges and a hall that cheers for every one of them.
- Next edition September 2027
- 500 children
- 8 events
- 200 volunteers
- Free for every child
The day
Eight events one Sunday.
Four events in the morning and four on stage after lunch. Guest judges mark every one, the winners lift their trophies, and every child goes home with a certificate.
Morning
On the floor
Paint sets on newspaper, clay on the desks, pots turning blue and orange, and rangoli creeping across the court.
Painting 
Pot painting 
Clay modelling 
Rangoli
Afternoon
On stage
After lunch the hall gets loud: songs, solos, group dances and a parade of costumes.
Singing 
Solo dance 
Group dance 
Fancy dress
Editions
Three Septembers so far.
Each edition has its own financial disclosure, with every payment and every rupee raised.
Kalakriti 3.0
Sunday 20 September 2026
Shishu Mandir, Bengaluru
- Children
- 500
- Volunteers
- 200
- Cost
- ₹4,44,190
- Raised
- ₹6,00,000
Funded by Ethos (₹5,00,000) and Xencia Technologies (₹1,00,000). Nine buses brought the children and volunteers.
Read the disclosure: Kalakriti 3.0 (opens in a new tab)Kalakriti 2.0
Sunday 14 September 2025
National Education Society of Karnataka, Bengaluru
- Children
- 450+
- Volunteers
- 180+
- Cost
- ₹4,27,936
- Raised
- ₹3,80,337
₹3,23,014 of it raised through crowdfunding on GiveIndia, the rest from cake and stationery stalls, volunteers’ T-shirts and a company donation.
Read the disclosure: Kalakriti 2.0 (opens in a new tab)Kalakriti ’24
Sunday 22 September 2024
St Francis College, Bengaluru
- Cost
- ₹3,03,068
- Raised
- ₹4,61,855
The first edition. What was left over paid for training the children who stood out, which became Kalakriti Horizon.
Read the disclosure: Kalakriti ’24 (opens in a new tab)
Kalakriti Horizon
After the stage, a whole year.
The children who shine at Kalakriti don’t go back to waiting for next September. Through Kalakriti Horizon they train every week with dance, music and art teachers, visit studios, and enter competitions outside to test their skills.
September 2025 to September 2026
100
weekly training sessions
4
centres: Gubbachi (Kariyammana Agrahara and Kodathi), Links and Thanal
₹2,03,373
for trainers, studio visits and competitions
In June 2026, five of the children danced at the Soorya national dance competition and came home with a trophy.
For 2026–27 we will choose at least four centres, with at least ten children at each.
Kalakriti 3.0
Moments from 20 September.
Folk, in full colour 
Her solo 
Dandiya sticks up 
The duet
All in orange 
Front and centre 
Pot painting 
Certificates for all
Get involved
Make the next one bigger.
Kalakriti 4.0 is in September 2027, usually on the second or third Sunday. It takes a crew, a few sponsors and a lot of small donations.
Join the crew
Around 200 Optimists run the day: the events, registration, lunch, and getting every child there and back. The crew meets on weekends in the months before.
Sponsor the festival
₹1,000 brings one child for the day, ₹50,000 sponsors one of the eight events, and ₹4,50,000 makes your company the title sponsor.
Give what you can
Every rupee of a donation goes into the same disclosure as the sponsors’ money, line by line.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
When is Kalakriti?
Once a year, usually on the second or third Sunday of September. Kalakriti 4.0 will be in September 2027, and we announce the date here and on Instagram.
Who takes part?
Children from our community centres and from partner learning centres across Bengaluru: 500 of them at Kalakriti 3.0. A school or centre that would like to bring its children can write to [email protected].
Does it cost anything for the children?
No. We pay for the buses, lunch, the art materials, the medals and the certificates, from sponsorships and donations.
What are the eight events?
Singing, solo dance, group dance, painting, pot painting, fancy dress, clay modelling and rangoli.
Who judges?
Guest judges mark every event. The winners get medals and trophies, and every child who takes part gets a certificate.
What is Kalakriti Horizon?
Our year-long training for the children who stand out at the festival: weekly dance, music and art classes at their centres, studio visits and competitions outside. More about Horizon.
How can I volunteer?
Register on the dashboard and sign up for the Kalakriti crew. No experience is needed; you get a role and a briefing before the day.
Can my company sponsor Kalakriti?
Yes: per child, per event or as the title sponsor, with the paperwork your CSR team needs. See the sponsorships.
Where does the money go?
Every edition has a financial disclosure listing each payment. At Kalakriti 3.0 the biggest costs were the buses (₹1,35,936), food (₹82,924) and the venue staff (₹65,955). See the editions.
Maths class 
Gift a Smile 
Pot painting, Kalakriti 
Spoken English 
Dance competition
