BackThe Time Out-Mint Planner
The Time Out-Mint Planner
PremiumFantasy fare: Smoke House Grill’s theme for 31 December is ‘Illusion’.
DELHI
Nightlife
31 December
Ai
The theme for New Year’s Eve will be “Dance with the dolls", with two dance floors set up on the premises of the restaurant. DJ Aaron James will control the flow, throwing in everything from R’n’B to Bollywood.
10pm. MGF Metropolitan Mall, second floor, District Centre, Saket (40654567). Charges, Rs12,000 per couple.
Smoke House Grill
Breaking away from their two-year tradition of “Studio 54" nights, The Grill plans to ring in the new year with the theme of “Illusion". DJs Chinu and Amit will be spinning the rhythms for what promises to be a night of pure fantasy.
8pm. North Wing, VIPPS Centre, Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash-II (41435530). Call the venue for details.
Magique
Take a walk through the “Magical garden in the deep dark woods". Magique plans to create a fantasy land on the restaurant’s gorgeous grounds, using snow, stars, sparkles and more. Chef Marut Sikka is also creating a gourmet Indian menu especially for the night. Dance to floor-stomping radio hits while you enjoy the unlimited package with as much top-notch alcohol and champagne.
7.30pm. The Garden Village, Gate No. 3, Garden of Five Senses, Saidulajab (32716767). Call the venue for details.
The Blue Bar
The newly opened bar at the Taj Palace Hotel is already preparing to top your best New Year’s Eve list.
9pm. The Taj Palace Hotel, Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri (26110202). Charges Rs5,000 per person (including unlimited drinks).
Around town
5-11 January
10th Auto expo
Car-crazy families should head straight to Pragati Maidan for the 10th Auto Expo 2010.
10am-7pm. Pragati Maidan.
Music
3 January
Penn Masala
These dudes from the University of Pennsylvania are part of the world’s first Hindi a cappella group. Formed in 1996, Penn Masala’s music is a fusion of English and Hindi songs with some lyrics in Arabic and Tamil thrown in for good measure.
Hard Rock Café, M-110, Multiplex Building, first floor, DLF Place, District Centre, Saket (47158888). Call venue for entry charges and timings.
MUMBAI
Art
4 January onwards
(En)counters
Mumbai Festival, the city’s annual cultural festival with art, film civic, food and stage events, is now in its sixth year. Throughout the festival, Bidyut Singha (aka Bobby), M.S.C. Satya Sai, Neil Dantas, Pradeep Mishra and Uday Shanbh will make art projects in five of the city’s most famous locations. For Foot Soldiers, Bobby will make portraits of commuters that catch his eye at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST). At Haji Ali Dargah, Satya Sai will present 108 Qurbani Caps. He will distribute taqiyah (a prayer cap generally worn by Muslim men) to people. The memories of 26/11 are clearly fresh in the mind of Shanbhag, who chose Leopold Café as his space. He will put up a speaking metal detector in the restaurant for the piece titled Identity Crises.
Nightlife
31 December
Blue Frog
A zany five-piece, electro-jazz outfit from Paris called noJazz rings in the new year at Blue Frog with their mix of hypnotic rhythms and contemporary sounds. DJ Monty (who also mans Blue Frog’s sound pod) and DJ Ajmal will take over the console. They will team up to deliver a playlist featuring all the classics, but remixed of course.
9pm. Mathuradas Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (40332300, www.bluefrog.co.in). Charges, Rs4,000 per person, and Rs6,000 per person (with pod seating) for unlimited alcohol (including cocktails) and a full buffet food line-up.
Hawaiian Shack
This party promises to be a lei affair. Hawaiian Shack invites loyalists to dress Hawaiian and surrender themselves to the club’s foolproof recipe for a drunken night: retro on the ground floor to get in the mood and hip-hop, House and Bollywood upstairs, for when things start to hot up.
9pm. 339, 16th Road, opposite Pal’s Fish Corner, near Linking Road, Bandra, West (26058753). Call the venue for details.
Rock Bottom
Their New Year’s Eve is based on nostalgia. This they intend on inducing with the help of b-boying dancers, Bollywood acts, rappers, copious amounts of alcohol and European dancers. Their playlist will be a mix of hip-hop and “special R.D. Burman remixes", courtesy DJ Pradeep and DJ Sujit.
9pm. Hotel Ramee Guestline, AB Nair Road, Juhu (66935555). Charges, Rs4,000 per person and Rs8,000 per couple, including unlimited alcohol and starters.
Valhalla
Valhalla’s theme for New Year’s Eve is “Mumbai my darling". They’re giving their usual minimal vibe a spin and calling on the powers of DJ Kiran (of electronica outfit Kilogram) and DJ Addy to turn the heat up with a mix of Bollywood and retro music.
9pm. Khambatta Building, first floor, next to Eros Cinema, Maharshi Karve Marg, Churchgate. (67353535). Charges Rs4,000 per person for unlimited alcohol and tapas.
Wink
Kitsch reigns supreme at Wink’s New Year’s Eve celebration as DJ Anuraag takes over the decks to spin a mix of commercial House tunes and badass Bollywood numbers.
9pm. Taj President, 90, Cuffe Parade (66650808). Charges, Rs3,000, plus taxes, per person (including unlimited alcohol and snacks). Call the venue for passes.
Zenzi Mills
The Mills rings in the next decade with a two-room bash. At base level, Grandmaster Jo (one-time resident of Studio 29) counts down the classics from the 1970s to the noughties, while Zenzi’s resident deejay, DJ Amul, mixes a myriad of New Age styles to give electronica dance lovers an all-out mash up.
9pm. Todi and Co., Mathuradas Mills Compound, opposite Kamala Mills, Tulsi Pipe Road, Lower Parel (43455455). Call the venue for details.
Film
1 January onwards
Where the Wild Things Are
Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak’s beloved story about Max, features a naughty boy in a wolf suit who sails away to an exotic jungle and meets giant beasties who make him their king. In expanding the couple of dozen pages of Sendak’s picture-book to feature length, Jonze and his co-writer, Dave Eggers, approach atavistic fantasy with jarring formal and psychological realism. The forest, desert and mountain locations are real, as are the creature costumes
Across cinemas.
BANGALORE
Nightlife
31 December
Ibiza 10
Bid farewell to 2009 with DJ Clitus’ collection of House. A laser show and Russian dancers are bonus acts. Come in early to listen to DJ Abhi playing hip-hop and House?from 8.30-10.30pm.
10.30pm. Palace grounds, Gayatri Vihar entrance, near Mekhri Circle, Bellary Road. Charges, Rs3,000 per couple (inclusive of food and drinks). For details, call 9538292816.
Caperberry
If you believe Spain is the ultimate party destination, you have Barca beats right here in town this New Year’s Eve. The Barcelona Evening at Caperberry has DJ Karan churning upbeat Spanish numbers.
8pm onwards. 48/1, ground floor, The Estate, 121, Dickenson Road (25594567). For details, call 9845177162 or 25594567.
Art
Till 9 January
The Sculpture Trail
A show of sculptures by Dimpy Menon and Kalyan Rathore. The show also includes the segment India Documented, with works by 11 leading photographers from across the country.
11.30am-7.30pm (Tuesday-Thursday). Apparao Galleries, UB City, 24, Vittal Mallya Road (41477618). For details and other enquiries, call Essmath Khaleeli at 9242968474 or email bangalore@apparaoart.com
CHENNAI
— By Karuna Amarnath
Nightlife
31 December
Zara Tapas
Spend the last day of the year at the one of Chennai’s most popular pubs. Enjoy unlimited servings of food as DJ Abhi sets up the New Year spirit with the best of house music.
7pm onwards. 74, Cathedral Road, Gopalapuram (28114943). Tickets Rs1,500 per person for food only.
1 January
Champagne Breakfast
Take a drive down the East Coast Road to wrap up your New Year’s Eve do with a relaxed breakfast. Indulge in a wide spread of Indian and Western fare along with a glass of champagne.
7.30am-10.30pm. Seagull, Fisherman’s Cove, Covelong Beach, Kanchipuram District (67413333). Charges, Rs750 per person (plus tax).
Art
2 January onwards
Madras Art Initiative
Madras Art Initiative is a voluntary, self-propelled art initiative to create an awareness of the artistic content of the city. The group’s annual event will take place across several galleries in the city, including Gallery Sumukha, Prakrit Art Gallery, Art World and Madras Terrace House. This year’s focus is on the line, with an accent on graffiti, which has evolved into what is now an “urban communicative tool" of self-expression.
Various venues and timings. For details, email artchennaisangamam@gmail.com or call 9840990419.
KOLKATA
— By Indranil Bhoumik]
Nightlife
31 December
Ibiza—The Club
The “Ibiza Club Crawl" new year bash has foot-tapping music from the turntables of DJ Krish, and an act by Russian belly dancers. The package also includes a welcome drink, two snack passes and one dinner pass. There will be several interesting games and lots of prizes to be won.
7pm onwards. Ibiza–The Club, Merlin Greens, Kriparampur, Amtala, Diamond Harbour Road (24709928/29). Tickets, for members, Rs500 per person; for guests, Rs1,200 per couple (no cover charge).
Eden Pavilion lawns
Enjoy an open-air barbecue beside the restaurant’s lily pond, and the finest wines and whiskies await your selection.
7-11.45pm. ITC Sonar, JBS Haldane Avenue, opposite Science City (23454545). Charges, Rs3,000 (beverages extra).
Kalash
“Naqaab Nasha", the restaurant’s new year theme, includes Awadhi cuisine, Darbari ghazals and Lucknowi dancers to mark a fitting end to the decade.
7.30-11pm. Hotel Hindusthan International, 235/1, AJC Bose Road (40018000/80). Charges, Rs1,600 per person (buffet, unlimited beverages).
Theatre
1 January
Abhishapta
Cultural organization Saptayan presents a musical dance-drama about a “river of loss". The river is described as abhishapta, or cursed, because all those who cross it seem doomed by fate.
6.30pm. Bijon Theatre, 5A, Raja Rajkrishna Street. For details, call 9432241404.
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