Nayantara Singh

It’s March, and Delhi’s weather is arguably at its most gorgeous. The heat’s made a slightly earlyish appearance (or has it? Summer always feels like a slightly unwelcome prospect following a perfect spring) and everyone’s ditched the sweaters and jackets. March also, incidentally, means it’s time for Holi! One of Delhi’s favourite festivals, because we love getting down and dirty. Ahem.  The biggest ticket (literally – entry is bloody pricey) event this month is Ye’s India tour. The rapper and hip-hop giant previously known as Kanye West is heading to Delhi at the end of the month! Other big performers include Punjabi rapper Honey Singh, as well as a great lineup of comedy shows: Aakash Gupta, Anubhav Bassi, Prashasti Singh, and loads more.  It’s a big month in terms of general activity too: Ramzan is on, of course, which means certain neighbourhoods around Chandni Chowk and Jamia will be abuzz with loads of activity after dark. There will, obviously, also be loads of Holi parties (catered as well as BYOB) around the city. Our guide tells you which ones are worth your buck.

The Delhi winter's officially made a hasty exit and the first week of March is looking bright and sunny (though we've still got the last remnants of pleasant evenings before the summer well and truly kicks in).  This week's mostly all about Holi. For one, it's a public holiday, and two – it's a chance to get raucous (Delhi's favourite thing) in relatively good weather. While neighbourhood clubs and parks host their version of a Holi party every year, folks can widen their net a bit this time, since quite a few public parties are planned too, including a cover charge (some are BYOB, some cater). And if you're still interested in spending time outdoors without getting drenched in coloured water that's going to have you looking like the purple Teletubby for weeks, you could also check out the Amrit Udyan – the garden at Rashtrapati Bhavan – which is open for visitors currently. Other fun things including concerts by Rekha and Vishal Bhardwaj and Piyush Mishra. Two or three rather good exhibitions on, too – at the KNMA, NGMA, and galleries in Defence Colony. Read on to find out more!   

March has arrived in Mumbai with that familiar switch-up in the weather – though that's not saying too much in the land of practically-no-winter. I've got to admit though that the sun's slightly harsher, the air feels heavier, and stepping out at noon's making me think twice. But if there's one thing this city does well in March, particularly this year, it's turning up the volume in terms of fun things happening – literally. Music festival season is in full throttle, with international acts landing every other weekend, and a noticeable buzz around live music, comedy, and big-stage spectacles. Consider this your cue to go wild – here's what's happening in the first week of Mumbai. 

It’s a relief to shrug off a rather long and sluggish January. The sun’s coming out, the weather’s near-perfect, with cool mornings, bright afternoons, and evenings that are begging for bar crawls. And February may be the shortest month, but in Delhi this year, it's completely action-packed. The calendar’s stuffed to the brim with theatre, sport, music, culture, and ROMANCE (or did you forget about Valentine’s Day?), making it one of the most reliably busy months to be out and about. The big-ticket item this month is, of course, the T20 World Cup, with multiple matches in Delhi. The music scene’s alive and well too – The Lumineers, Armaan Malik, the India Jazz Project, the HT City Unwind (the GOAT Lucky Ali returns) and the Sufi Heritage Festival (featuring big draws Daler Mehndi and Sona Mohapatra) all in a single month. The Pride Parade and the Delhi Literature Festival are also big crowd pullers, along with the ongoing Bharat Rang Mahotsav, which kicked off in late January and features plenty of theatre productions through the month. We simply cannot forget the Surajkund Mela, which brings artisans from across and beyond India under one roof, selling some of the most unique things money can buy. You’ve also got the big V-Day bonanza starting mid-month, with loads of bars and restaurants hosting special events and offering hefty discounts, so make sure to catch those. But all in all, like we said, February’s weather is too good to be true – so don’t miss this chance to grab

February’s usually when the productivity panic starts to kick in. After all, it’s time for the post-January festive blues to come to an end. Never mind about the New Year resolutions that never made it past the 30-day trial run. Year after year, Mumbai runs on high-speed autopilot through January, what with Lollapalooza, but February is just as action-packed this year, and here’s everything worth checking out. It’s perhaps one of the best months for music: we have the Symphony Orchestra of India’s Spring 2026 season for western classical music lovers; John Mayer performing live; not one but TWO jazz festivals, among other really cool DJ sets, folk recitals, and of course, the Mahindra Blues Fest returning to Mumbai. Tickets are selling out faster than Labubus, but fear not if you don’t get ‘em – there’s plenty of other live music that Mumbai has on offer through the year. It’s also a big time for the artsy-fartsy. We’re kicking off the month with the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival from January 31 to February, followed by the annual All India Arts Exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery and exciting exhibits coming to NGMA, CSMVS and the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum.Theatre’s alive and kicking: a slew of shows are scheduled, from the Primetime Theatre Company to Spoken Fest 2026. Stand-up comedy shows through the month, of course, and how could I mention stand-up without talking about the BIG TICKET ITEM! Gianmarco Soresi’s touring India for the first time! Another big event to top it all of

There's no way to travel all of Asia in one lifetime, but you can damn well bet that we're going to try. From bustling city destinations to wild island paradises, there's so much on the regional travel menu that we'd gladly spend our annual leave on in 2026 – and if you're having a hard time choosing, then you're in the right place. We talked to our Time Out editors and travel contributors in Asia to suss out what's on their radar for the coming year. These destinations are emerging hotspots: long overlooked or previously hard to reach, but now on the map for travellers seeking alternatives to well-trodden destinations like Bali, Tokyo, and Bangkok. Many on the list have become better-connected, too – all the more reason to buy that plane ticket in 2026. And it goes without saying: they all have spectacular natural attractions, rich culture, and fantastic dining scenes to satisfy the pickiest of travellers. Here's Time Out's list of the best places to visit in Asia in 2026.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Asia newsletter for the best travel inspiration straight to your inbox. READ MORE: The most spectacular places to visit in Asia and The most gorgeous islands in Asia 

My first thought upon entering Barbet & Pals is how many drinks it's going to take for me to be able to laugh at the same pitch as the other folks guffawing inside. That, and the mean-ish rumination on how many people know that a barbet's a kind of bird – though the decor, has, of course, made it glaringly obvious, from the birds flying off the servers' lapels to the little winged stirrers clattering about inside highball glasses. Barbet is, mercifully, not a speakeasy. By that, I mean it isn't faux-hidden behind a pair of nondescript doors that can only be reached via a great big shady lift. No, Barbet's right there, flatly proud, placed in the inner lip of Greater Kailash II's M Block Market, which is currently in the throes of an intense, competitive popularity.The unselfconscious location's a relief, really, and a bit of a surprise – given that inside, Barbet feels much more like a speakeasy than any of the other bars that have mushroomed with greasy ease across south Delhi. It's small, but not too small (38 seats). Dimly lit, but not in the infuriating way that makes you want to pull out your phone torch to squint at the menu. The speaker spouts 80s oldies, but not all of them are bangers. It's good to know there's yet some appreciation for deep cuts in this city. When they launched, publications went wild waxing lyrical about the pahadi inspiration behind the menu. I read it all, and I'd come here to sample it, but to tell you god's honest truth, the drink that's caught