Elephanta Festival at Mumbai’s Gateway of India From March 23–25

The latest edition of the Elephanta Festival will be held at the Gateway of India from March 23–25, 2012. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has decided to shift the venue of the Elephanta Festival of music and dance to the Gateway of India from this year.

MTDC managing director Jagdish Patil cited several reasons for shifting the venue from Elephanta to Gateway of India. "We wish that more people enjoy the festival in a convenient manner," he said. "The venue at Elephanta can only seat 700–800 whereas we can host about 2,000 to 2,500 people at the Gateway. Moreover, we must arrange launches to ferry guests to the island and back, and often, there aren't enough boats."

Indian tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and actress Hema Malini are set to perform during the Elephanta Festival.