From art to food: Here are fun city events to kick start your New Year celebrations

Image for representation

It is that time of the year when the illuminated shop fronts brighten up city streets, spreading the festive cheer and one cannot help but step out to experience the thrill amid chilly winter evenings. From Christmas-themed events, comedy gigs and art workshops to brunches and photo walks, these events have already encouraged movement across the city.

If not staycations or long weekend getaways, here's a round-up of interesting events that may pique your interest and enhance your December joy.

Appreciating modern art

Contemporary artist Gunjan Shrivastava will be displaying her signature artworks ‘Cyanotypes' online and at ‘Contemporary Signatures', an exhibition hosted by The Curators Art. The exhibition will include works by 30 contemporary artists from across the country, with an objective to promote modern art and showcase the signature styles of artists.

As Shrivastava -- who is also an art critic and co-founder of You Lead Foundation -- explains, a cyanotype is a form of camera-less photography that involves using chemicals and sunlight or UV light to create a cyan-blue print. It is blue in colour, which lends its name (cyan) to the technique.

Artwork by Dr Gunjan Shrivastava. Image courtesy: Gunjan Shrivastava

"In an era where photography is now as simple as clicking buttons on a smartphone or other high-end cameras, cyanotypes manifest in their creators the need to slow down; the need to let Nature take over and enjoy a free reign to conceive a masterpiece. And my engagement with issues relating to sustainability drives me to use cyanotypes as a sustainable option," she adds.

Shrivastava will be showing her series ‘The Victory Chronicles', which celebrates women who have accepted themselves, embraced their wounds, scars of the past, their failures and their triumphs.

"These scars are relics of experiences and define one's journeys. They form visual fragments of the adversity overcome and pain suffered. They are marks of triumphs projecting our strength and resilience, of our bodies changing and growing. Our scars hint at the heroes inside us," says Shrivastava.

Venue: Online at www.thecurators.art

Date: December 15 - December 19

Entry: Free

Escape to the sea

If you are a sea person and interested in a short December adventure, Aquasail's ‘Discover Sailing' could be something you are looking for. You get to experience the thrill of sailing a 25 foot sports yacht under the guidance of qualified instructors.

Or you can choose to get on to the yacht, loosen yourself and sail through the sea away from the city's hustle, pollution and chaos.

The activity is recommended for adults and for children above 4 years. Younger children will be accommodated on a case to case basis.

Venue: Aqua 360 sailing, Mandwa

Date: December 16 - December 30

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Entry: Rs 10, 000 onwards

The brunch you might not want to miss

Everyone loves food! And if you are one of those who are into brunches, the Grand Hyatt brings you ‘The Grand Sunday Brunch' from December 19 to December 26. From special thin crust Italian pizzas from Celini to kebabs from Indian restaurant Soma, and freshly prepared dishes from the live counters, the brunch will offer food and drinks from the signature restaurants of the hotel.

Set in the lobby of the hotel, the live music and free-flowing drinks will surely add to your brunching experience.

Venue: Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences

Date: December 19 - December 26

Time: 12.30 pm onwards (duration 3 hours 30 minutes)

Entry: Rs 3, 535 onwards

Capturing the lesser known city-sides

DCP Expeditions has organised a Weekend Photo Walk for photography enthusiasts and anyone who loves observing and capturing the wilder side of the city. Photowalks are increasingly getting popular across cities and DCP has been doing it in Mumbai since 2013. If you are a budding photographer, these photowalks provide an opportunity to polish your skills and also document the elements of nature in and around the city.

You need to carry your camera, fully charged camera batteries, binoculars, backup memory cards, water bottle, medications if any and other essentials.

Venue: Kharghar Hills, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai

Date: December 26

Time: 7 am to 9.30 am

Entry: Free

Comedy gig's a must

One cannot miss mentioning standup comedy gigs in the list of weekend plans. A stressful week calls for some relaxation and mindless laughter and Inder Sahani's solo standup at The Habitat is here to tickle you.

Picking on everyday stories that start with "Aap Manoge Nahi", this one hour session will perfectly kickstart your Christmas celebrations.

Venue: The Habitat, Khar

Date: December 24

Time: 9 pm

Entry: Rs 299 onwards

A taste of Iran

Just in time for Yalda, the Iranian celebration of the longest night of the year, sign up for ‘Taarof', an Iran food festival at Cafe Mommyjoon, co-owned by the family behind Lucky Biryani and Priya Dutt.

"Bombay people have had a long history with Irani cafes all over the city but we haven't had a taste of Iran's food and culture," the cafe founders note in its origin story. "With the festival we want to share the joy of food and the diversity of cultures, that's where the name ‘Taarof' comes from; the Persian hospitality and etiquette."

Guest chef from Iran, Majid Yagoobhi, will help serve up a 5-course menu of wholesome and fragrant dishes -- hummus and noon-e khoshk (a Yazdi cracker bread), tahchin ba morgh (chicken stuffed saffron rice cakes), mirza ghasemi (grilled eggplant stew) and kabob koobideh (grilled minced meat), among them. Desserts such as akbar mashti (saffron ice cream) and Mommyjoon's special bread pudding will be on offer too.

The festival will also involve a display from the Culture house of Iran, Persian handicrafts, Persian style fortune telling or Faal-e-Hafez based on the 14th century poet Hafez's enigmatic words - tied together with Persian music.

While at the cafe, don't miss the chance to peruse Nargis and Sunil Dutt's spectacular personal collection of books and magazines, spanning politics, culture and fiction.

Venue: Cafe Mommyjoon, Off Linking Road, Bandra West

Date: December 18, 19 and 20

Entry: Rs 1500 + 5% GST

Contact: +91 8928638522