Come August, and the party season begins for the desi community.
Independence Day, Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, Onam, Rakhi… and with the weather warming up, more desi talents descending down under to sparkle stages and cinema halls near you!
Trust us when we say the FOMO will be hitting harder than ever if you don’t mark out your calendars for this month.
Take a look at our What’s On schedule to find out more about these and other Indian Australian events taking place in the month of August.
In case we’ve missed your event, drop us a line at editor@indianlink.com.au and we’ll gladly include it here.
VANDE MATARAM
Independence Day events usually mark the start of the festive calendar in our community. You’ll be heading no doubt to a gathering near you, to raise the tiranga and sing the national anthem (and a few other patriotic songs). This will typically be your city’s Indian Consulate (or Yarralumla if you’re a Canberra-resident).
In recent years though, local councils have graciously joined in the Independence Day party, so check with yours if they have an event planned.
And then of course there’ll be the gala dress-up event at your local community organisation. Make sure you get yourself along to at least one of these India-themed functions.
Nothing, however, will beat the event at The Peppercorn Lawn in Melbourne’s Alexandra Gardens. It’ll be cinema veteran Shabana Azmi doing the honours.
MOVIE MAGIC
And so, roll out the red carpet – Bollywood diehards will be celebrating their Diwali (and Xmas!) early this year.
The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2023 is back and bigger than ever, so dust off your best suits and sarees!
Melbourne will dazzle as it showcases the diamonds of Indian cinema in theatre halls across the city.
With the stars aligning for the film festival, this is your chance to meet Rani Mukerji, Kartik Aaryan, Karan Johar, Shabana Azmi, Bhumi Pednekar, Mrunal Thakur, Malaika Arora, Vijay Verma, Saiyami Kher, Sunny Leone, Anurag Kashyap… the list is endless!
A topnotch collection of new films, a gala awards night, high profile chat sessions, dance and short film competitions – there’s plenty on offer here.
Can’t make it to Melbourne this month? Don’t fret as IFFM will be streaming some of its cinematic picks online for audiences nationwide.
STARDUST AND SPARKLE
Aside from most of Bollywood leaving Bombay for Southbank, there’s a few other gems that will be shining around the country this month.
Mika Singh. Bally Sagoo. Take your pick. Or why not both!
For those who prefer their music ‘yesteryear’ to use a term only they’ll understand, three legends of Bollywood Sadhana Sargam, Suresh Wadkar and Jolly Mukherjee are uniting to serenade cities across Australia with their greatest hits.
HALO RE HALO!
Dandiya season has already arrived in Australia and has no sign yet of stopping. With legends of Garba and Dandiya music continuing their whirlwind tours around the country, it is safe to say that chaniya cholis and dhotis are becoming outfits of choice for the weekends ahead.
Join the likes of Jignesh Kaviraj, Jigardan Gadhavi, Kinjal Dave, Hardik and Ishani Dave, Sagra Patel, Umesh Barot, Atul Purohit and Aishwarya Majmudar this month as they continue to serenade with the sounds of Dandiya season.
JUST FOR LAUGHS
If as they say laughter is the best medicine, then it’s safe to say the Indian community will be in the pink of health this month.
Wrapping up his whirlwind tour across the country, Sakht Launda Zakir Khan is yet to prove he is the king of Indian comedy to Sydney and Adelaide audiences. What are you waiting for? Make that group chat to organise a night of laughs before Zakir makes his way out of the country.
Explaining the art of Aansplaining, Karthik Kumar is touring his 4th stand-up special as he blurs the line between comedy and social commentary. Prepare to have your ribs tickled and your eyes opened for this one!
LOCAL STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS
The Indian-Australian community has never been short of homegrown talent, and as August warms up, these voices will bloom!
Presented by the Australian Indian Orchestra, Sydney to Mumbai will show you what happens Bollywood beats meet the serenade of a symphony orchestra. Take note of this musical night guaranteed to give you many harmonious memories.
Musical maestros in Melbourne, an evening of karaoke style singing could be the perfect way to kick off the weekend. With classical musician Poly Varghese headlining the event, Swar Sandhya will continue to shine light on seasoned shower singers who would prefer a stage to showcase their musical talent.
ALL ABOUT ONAM
Indian harvest festival Onam is coming up later this August, bringing cheer to Australian Keralites craving for an upcoming cultural event. If you want to join in and take in a banana-leaf sadhya meal, and to check if Mahabali actually visits, find an event like Kerala Fest 2023 in Brisbane, Onam 2023 by the Sydney Malayalee Association, Malarvadi Melbourne Onam festival, Perth’s grandest Onam event Ponnonam 2023, or Adelaide and Metropolitan Malayalee Association AMMA’s Onam 2023.
If these Indian Australian events don’t seem like your cup of chai, there’s plenty more happening around you in August, such as Deepak Chopra, or the play Tughlaq.
To find out where, head to our What’s On section.
