The NGV’s hugely popular Indian Community Day will return on Sunday 13 October 2024, featuring Bollywood dancing, dhol drumming and DJ sets from 11am to 5pm.
Celebrating the creativity and diversity of Victoria’s Indian community, this annual free event features art, food, performance, dance, music and more for audiences of all ages.

Highlights for the 2024 Indian Community Day include a vibrant and high impact drumming performance. Beginning on the NGV forecourt, the group of Indian dholis will conduct an exhilarating and high-energy roving performance into the Great Hall.
Inside, visitors can enjoy performances and workshops showcasing Indian dance styles, including Kathak, one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance, as well as folk dances from Gujrat and Rajasthan. There will also be an interactive Bollywood performance and workshop by Ignite Bollywood in the Great Hall.
The event will be hosted by Sharon Johal, celebrated Indian-Australian actor, writer and human rights advocate. Johal is best known for her work in Australia’s longest-running TV series Neighbours, the TV adaptation of Shantaram (2022) and starring opposite Zac Efron in Ricky Stanicky (2024), as well as competing as a contestant on the renovation TV series The Block.
Melbourne-based visual artist Bushra Hasan will teach children about the rickshaw, an iconic mode of transport in India, in the hands-on creative workshop Let’s Drive.
Revealing the influence of traditional Indian garments on contemporary fashion design, SBS Radio host Preeti Jabal moderates a panel discussion with Melbourne designers, Abha Gupta and Kudrat Makkar, alongside Sunita Lewis, Project Officer, Asian Art at the NGV.

Transforming the Great Hall into a dance floor for all ages, DJ and music producer Pradip Sarkar, also known as Sikander, presents an exhilarating voyage across diverse musical horizons with an electrifying DJ set. Sakar is a founding member of the Sikander Band and hosts the popular radio show Tiger Beats Elephant Grooves on PBS FM.
Especially for Indian Community Day, chef Helly Raichura of Carlton North’s sought-after Indian diner, Enter via Laundry, will create a bespoke menu of Indian dishes and snacks served throughout the Great Hall and Gallery Kitchen.
Indian Community Dayis on Sunday 13 October 2024 at NGV International, St Kilda Road. Entry is FREE. For further information, please visit the NGV website: NGV.MELBOURNE