Nitya Choubey

Somebody forgot to tell September to slow down. Instead of winding down, Delhi's notching up the drama from September 28 to October 4. The India Habitat Centre Theatre Festival wraps its ten-day run across four languages, while Virasat settles into Sunder Nursery for a four-day stretch, tracing one family's slow unravelling across generations. The Yamuna gets its moment at Nadi Utsav, three days of panels, performances and photo exhibitions built around a river this city usually forgets exists. Saturday belongs to the Great Indian Beer Festival, for anyone whose idea of a good afternoon involves fifty-plus beers and a game of beer pong they'll regret by Sunday (hint: us). Sunday itself is stacked: a 5am half marathon in Noida for the disciplined, Aashish Solanki's stand-up at Kamani for the not-so-disciplined, and an art hangout at Priya Park for anyone who'd rather just sit in the grass with a sketchbook and call it a plan. Not a dull week. Pace yourself accordingly.

After just three days into my month-long stay in Ladakh, I realised this was no ordinary Himalayan getaway. Ladakh is far less polished than the rest of the Indian north. It's landscape after landscape of pure rugged beauty – of rogue mountains shaded brown to deep violet, of winding rivers and starlit skies, great swathes of sand and snow. And it's on this pretext that I'd say there's no better way to experience the Himalayas than on a bike. While several folks feel, fairly rightfully, that nothing beats driving through the mountains in the comfort of a car, there's nothing quite like experiencing Ladakh with absolutely no barrier between you and the terrain. That, and the adrenaline rush. Don't get me wrong – touring Ladakh is tough and not for rookies, especially on a bike. The weather's dry, and oxygen levels and low enough to upset your gut or trigger Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) on day one. Facilities that a city girl like myself would take for granted, like ATMs, petrol pumps and food joints, are few and far between. There are empty stretches where you spot absolutely nobody for as for as your eyes can see. But that's precisely what makes Ladakh an outstanding destination to tour – not just for Indian travellers, but also for visitors from abroad. And the views are, of course, the icing as well as the cherry. Towering mountains pierce through the clouds, turning golden or steel grey, depending on the light. The rivers and waterfalls are so young that they're almost fo

Delhi is one of the most polluted capitals in the world, but it has one significant green lung fighting back: the Aravalli Ridge, India's oldest mountain range. Clean air is just one of its gifts. The Aravallis also give Delhi its birdwatching trails, its treks and campsites, a dozen lakes (seasonal ones included), and a couple of  (we really think) haunted monuments. The range runs through Haryana and Rajasthan before petering out in Delhi as a residual ridge. Inside the city, it stretches from the south, near Gurugram, up to the north around Azadpur, before giving way to the younger Yamuna floodplains. Because it's a residual range, the elevation surfaces in three distinct stretches: the Southern, Central and Northern Ridges, in descending order of size. The Southern Ridge is the richest of the three, both in biodiversity and elevation. It's home to the PSR rocks near Vasant Vihar, Delhi's highest point, and to golden jackals, jungle cats, black kites and a very small, very shy population of Indian pythons. The Ridge has also earned its own spot in a museum inside the Delhi Metro.  Here's how to spend a weekend in the Aravallis without spending much at all. For more greenery, check out our guides to the best parks and gardens in Delhi and the best underrated weekend getaways from Delhi.

Wake up long before September ends, please. We might not be talking about it yet, but the winter lull will be sooner than you think. Not that it’d stop us – but this month’s calendar is especially jam-packed with a bunch of stuff. Start with the music, because there's a lot of it. Ankur Tewari lands at The Piano Man touring Mr Faarigh, nine new tracks that lean into longing and travel the way his writing always has. Over at The Dome, inside a ballroom with fifty foot ceilings and enough Art Deco detail to make you forget you're in a hotel, an evening of Rafi classics is being staged with live vocals and a full ensemble. Purple Cassette closes out a nationwide tour on home turf with a garage rock set. And if you'd rather lose a few hours to something stranger, Mandragora's psychedelic house sets. The sheer scale of South Side Story will also happily oblige with some more range. The theatre asks for more patience this month, and rewards it. Virasat, staged at Sunder Nursery, spends four generations watching a family come apart, through cooking and cleaning and the small negotiations of daily life rather than any single dramatic moment. Malavika Sarukkai does something even rarer with Dance with Space: instead of just performing Bharatanatyam, she talks you through how it's built. Solanki, a former maths teacher who now makes a living being funny about fatherhood and gym delusions, brings his set to Kamani for anyone who'd rather laugh. Want to go somewhere that doesn’t involve

India’s capital is steeped in history, heart and soul, and the best museums in Delhi reflect exactly that. There are the sprawling, old-school heavyweights; the neatly curated, moderately packed ones; the artsy corners, the weird themed museums, the sobering ones, and the science-y ones. The city is anything but boring, and these museums are just as entertaining for people who don't identify as nerds. What's also wonderful is that most of them are cheap, or completely free. Sure, you could Google all of them yourself, but that's exactly the problem: you likely can't see everything, especially if you’re visiting. So we've rounded up the best of the lot. Here are Delhi's finest museums, all worth carving out time for in your itinerary if there's a history buff hiding inside you. Editor's note: Don’t go into this guide thinking of museums as one thing. Everything here is either centuries-deep or so specific it borders on eccentric (yes, there's a toilet museum). They've been picked to cover a real range, and we’re sure there’s something here that’ll appeal to any kind of visitor.  Delhi’s best museums at a glance 📖 Best history museum: National Museum 🙃 Weirdest museum: Sulabh International Toilet Museum ❤️ Best for a date: Crafts Museum 🎨 Best for art lovers: National Gallery of Modern Art 👤 Best for solo travellers: Museum of Archaeology, Red Fort 👶 Best museum to explore with kids: National Science Centre Also read: Craving more of the city beyond its museums? Trade gall

I’d say there’s a sprawling sense of wonder when it comes to Delhi’s green spaces. With any urban city, it's inevitable that the landscape will eventually, increasingly fall prey to mass concretisation and towering buildings. But in Delhi, the parks and gardens fight back. You'd be hard pressed to find the kind of green we have here: manicured and wild, punctuated by bursts of springtime flowers, or let be.  A lot of this stems from Delhi's own history: the Mughals, and their undying love for planned gardens. It's a marvel that they've endured over so many centuries, enjoying the same kind of fierce loyalty they would've back then – from emperors wandering their lawns in the sixteenth century to locals enjoying afternoon picnics today. Weekends are often planned around Sunder Nursery. Joggers will go out of their way to make sure they catch the morning light in Lodhi Garden. Only a handful of gatekeepers know about the ducks that glide over the lake in Sanjay Van. Every single garden or park is profoundly different from the other. Hell – let me put it this way: parks are an intrinsic part of Delhi life. Where else are you going to be able to pass a honking great mausoleum or stepwell in the middle of your morning walk? Here's my guide to the very best ones.

It’s an exceptionally rare day when a film isn’t being screened somewhere in Delhi out of someone’s good will. Tickets to screenings at many of these beloved spots are free or nominal; often, even in the city’s busiest or oddest hours, they draw seriously dedicated viewers and intense conversations. You really don’t have to wait for a classic old film to be digitised online or prove yourself as a buff to be let into some exclusive club. Chances are what you want to watch – and what you didn’t know you wanted to watch – are being screened, like, yesterday, with friendly people at their helm. For years now, we’ve been staying till credits roll in spots and clubs across the capital. This guide rounds up some of the best.

Through the humidity and the half-hearted rain, Delhi's at it with the overcommitting again. Jokes and laughter carry our city through a lot. Kunal Kamra's touring his newest set through two cities back to back, still mining current affairs for punchlines nobody else will touch, while Brocode is betting six straight hours of stand-up can hold a room's attention – ambitious, though not unheard of for this city's appetite. Varun Grover's take on mortality and a hypothetical ketchup apocalypse might be the odder pitch of the two, but it's the kind of odd that tends to be exactly what makes this city so endearing. Of course, there’s no Delhi without its soft spots. Punjabi folk kneels into something more electronic, four languages flutter in through one musical evening, jazz keeps a steady beat going… a beat that only grows louder when you bring devotion into the mix, with Bollywood, a live band, and bhajans packed into another night. The BWF World Championships return to Delhi for the first time since 2009. Dastkar's monsoon mela is also reopening its tents as a Turkish food fest and a Korean pop-up compete for your dinner plans. Here's everything happening in Delhi this August. We suppose it won’t slip away. The best of August in Delhi at a glance:   Best music show by an emerging artist: Rashmeet Kaur’s Punjabi folk Best for shopping: Dastkar Monsoon Mela Best comedy show: Standing Up by Kunal Kamra Best sporting event: BWF World Championships | Badminton Best for bites:

Editor's note: This guide, compiled in 2026, lists the best comedy venues in Delhi, Noida and Gurugram, including stand-up comedy clubs, performance spaces, intimate studios and smaller underground venues. The list is curated by Time Out editors based on the quality and variety of comedy on offer, with a focus on venues that regularly host stand-up shows and emerging and established comedians. Delhi may arguably be the king of comedy in India. It’s got the makings of exactly THAT kind of city: brash humour, quick-as-you-please insults, a tangle of communities from across the country that just can’t stop poking fun at each other. It makes for a vaguely delightful kind of inelegance that’s played a big role in churning out some of the topic comics in India today.  Once upon a time, there were only two or three clubs that’d host standup night. Now, Delhi’s crawling with them – so are Gurugram and Noida – and not all are created equal. This guide sorts the sorted from the sordid, from underground rooms to tiny studios. Take a look, book a ticket, and laugh your head off.  Also, it's worth checking out Time Out's weekly events calendar to see which comedian's swinging with a special this week.   

According to Anurag Minus Verma, the way to Delhi's heart passes straight through a plate of seekh kebab. The man wears many hats – filmmaker, podcast host and author being just some of them – but the man’s keen on food. His whacky restaurant reviews are testament to the fact, but what he’s especially fond of is kebab-hunting. Having grown up in Jaipur, he’d had a taste of all the delightful food the Pink City’s known for and more, but not kebabs. That story only began in his college days at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Sprinting from one dhaba to another was a crash course in all of Delhi’s culinary delights. And while the capital city’s undoubtedly a melting pot, it is known for a bunch of things done exceptionally well.  Delhi’s kebabs are distinct, as Anurag puts it. For a city that sits pompously over an entire lineage of Mughlai food, they have to be. He’s sampled almost every vendor in the city, but these are the ones he goes back to over and over again.  For a complete guide to the best kebabs in Delhi, here’s Time Out’s list, curated by a local expert.

Connaught Place, locally referred to as 'CP', is perhaps the only place in Delhi to boast crowds, colonial-style buildings, five-star-hotels and good dirt-cheap food all at once.  Featuring several two-storied Georgian-style structures, Connaught Place is made up of two concentric circles: the Inner Circle and the Outer Circle, around a central park (bearing the tallest tricolour flag in the capital). Radial roads bind the two circles tightly. This is fitting, given that CP’s pretty much the epicentre of Delhi’s cuisine and shopping experience. Connaught Place was designed by Robert Tor Russell in the 1950s. Its location gives it an edge: right at the heart of the capital, close to Janpath Market, Jantar Mantar, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, and Mandi House. There’s also a high chance you might stumble upon some cute pop-up performances: a guitar solo, or a living statue.  What does it take to explore Connaught Place at its most beautiful, though? A late evening or midnight walk with friends, I'd say, coupled with this list. 

Delhi in July is no joke (except for the literal onslaught of format-pushing comedy shows across the city). There’s a glimmer of hope for patches of rain, but you wouldn’t tell it’s just a glimmer from everything that’s going on across the city this month.  Theatre and art are holding their own. Rajat Kapoor's darkly comic Macbeth – Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, and enough meta-theatricality to give a literature professor a headache. Taj Mahal Ka Tender and Krishna Katha are doing their own interesting things a few doors down. Art that wants you to stay for hours, talk without filling your mouth with too much theory, and patiently flip through pages. Music fills in almost everything else. Jasmin Sandlas for the chaos. The Nizami Brothers for their devotion. Abish Mathew for the people who need their comedy to occasionally break into song. And you’ve got a few interesting organic markets and festivals too. But yes – the comedy scene is this month's real story. The familiar names are back – Abhishek Upmanyu, Urooj Ashfaq, Manik Mahna – but so is something harder to name: a restlessness with the standard one-person-microphone setup. This month has dating shows that pull strangers from the crowd, breakup comedy built on audience participation, and a two-hander from Delhi's own open-mic alumni.  Here's everything happening in Delhi this July.

Lehchen is a short walk from Leh Market. It's tucked away on the first floor, right above 1984 Pizza House. A little gate to the right of the pizzeria leads to a low-ceilinged staircase, with portraits of some seriously dashing historical figures. This includes Che Guevara and Bob Marley, put on the same wall. At the entrance, a neon-lit Lenchen logo glows against the otherwise slate-grey backdrop, setting the tone for what’s to come. Step in and your eyes first land on the handsomely lit bar, which looks a little like someone’s kitchen slab. Alongside the usual suspects like whisky, you’ll spot jars packed with ingredients, some of which may not look particularly familiar. Then, let your eyes wander through washed-out walls, wooden furniture and framed caricatures to find the perfect spot for yourself. If the weather is playing nice, grab a seat on the balcony for the view of a silent street below. It’s the same balcony you noticed when you first spotted Lenchen. Like most balconies in Leh, this one also comes with intricate shingkos (traditional Ladakhi wooden carvings) that make the otherwise simple grey outdoors look a little edgier and classier. Since I visited the bar during the monsoon, the balcony looked even more tempting. When it comes to Ladakh, it hardly rains in this cold desert. And even when it does, it’s usually just a drizzle. So don’t miss one if you catch one. The owner, Tsewang Gyatso, welcomed me and took me to the other section of the bar, which was bree

Delhi’s Air Force Museum, tucked away in the Palam neighbourhood, is a walk into a whole different era. With more than 50 real fighter jets bearing marks from actual wars, the museum will leave you in awe. The collection was the first of its kind in India and is located inside the Air Force Cantonment area of the capital. Tickets are affordably priced. After entering, your first encounter is with the War Memorial, dedicated to the soldiers who lost their lives in various wars. There are a total of four galleries, one of which is open-air. The indoor galleries tell you everything you need to know about army rankings, vintage cameras and photographs, radar systems, and fancy rifles. Don’t forget the missiles and aircraft suits. Hardly any of these exhibits are models; many were actually used by some of the Air Force. Outside in the open gallery, parked magnificently, are several aircraft. There are also captured army tanks and vehicles from other countries like Pakistan. Finally, the last gallery gives you a glimpse into the history of the wars between India and Pakistan. After wandering around these galleries, you can catch your breath at the Longwala Lounge, which has plenty of options for snacks. There is also a souvenir shop where you can buy small aircraft-model keychains, along with dashing leather jackets and jerseys. The highlight's obviously the open-air gallery, which houses multiple aircraft. There's almost everything from small missiles and fighter jets to carrier a

Situated on the prominent India Gate Circle, the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is a dome-shaped, lightly art deco-ish vintage building in the Lutyens' Delhi style. You’d slow down just walking past it. Step inside, though, and the grandeur gives way to something more intimate: room after room of India's most significant modern and contemporary art, over 17,000 works deep. The National Gallery of Modern Art is easily the best place in the city for an introduction to art, or even for a slow date, given its central location. Why go?  There are art installations, 3D paintings and fine artworks from A-listers like MF Husain (often called the Picasso of India), Rabindranath Tagore, and other masters like Raja Ravi Varma and Jamini Roy, alongside portrait virtuoso Amrita Sher-Gil, whose gaze-heavy paintings have a way of stopping you mid-step. Bright shades of tangerine and green run riot through much of the Indian contemporary work on display: bold colour that feels like a deliberate departure from the muted pastels and brutalism of the West. Time Out tip: Grab an ice cream and enjoy it by the India Gate, a few minutes' walk from the museum, as the evening light turns golden. It's practically a ritual for Delhiites.

Adjacent to the National Gallery of Modern Art in Lutyens' Delhi, the National Museum is a massive heavyweight in the city's cultural scene. Maybe it's the location on Janpath, a few minutes from India Gate, that makes it hard to skip… or maybe it's the collection, spanning over 5,000 years of history. The museum’s literally as old as the nation itself, conceived to bring together the country's most significant artefacts under one roof. The collection runs to nearly two lakh works: door panels, bronze statues, embroidered fabric, stone carvings. Three floors chronicle the history of the Indian subcontinent, each dedicated to a different theme and time period. It’s large enough that it rarely feels crowded, but you should still expect some rush on national holidays and weekends. Why you should go to the National Museum The dusky Gandhara Buddha statue will instantly steal your heart. So might the famous dancing girl figurine from the Indus Valley civilisation, the twinkling bead jewellery, or the Tibetan thangkas. The Mughal miniature paintings offer a glimpse into the lives of medieval kings you'll find yourself envying. The National Museum library, meanwhile, is a specialised storehouse for academic, curatorial and educational work – a serious space, less touristy and more scholarly. Time your visit right and you can also catch a special film screening on the ground floor. Time Out tip: End your day with a walk down Kartavya Path, leading up to the iconic Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Eccentric is truly the word to use. This museum houses enormous steam engines, vintage monorails, regal locomotives, and royal coaches. Centrally located in Chanakyapuri, the National Rail Museum's open-air galleries practically bleed history, with a hundred life-size, quirky exhibits ranging from carriages and salons to wagons and special-purpose vehicles. Indoors, the galleries showcase artefacts, signalling systems, track models, photographs, and toolkits, alongside audiovisual shows and interactive displays. Why go to the National Rail Museum? The star attractions are the Fairy Queen (the world's oldest working steam locomotive!) and the Patiala State Monorail Trainways locomotive. Don't miss the Joy Train ride that loops around the museum grounds; it’s more appealing to adults than you think. Visitors can peek through vintage windows and climb inside bogies dating from the 19th and 20th centuries, or catch a ride at the charmingly designed 'Museum Junction'. Round it off at the IRCTC cafeteria, the perfect feather in a cap for a wholesome day out. Time Out tip: The museum wraps up earlier than most others in the city, so plan for the day.

This is where science drops the lab coat to mingle with everyday life in Delhi. Plonked next to Pragati Maidan and Bharat Mandapam, the National Science Centre is the city's geek gateway. Six galleries within the complex are packed with science demonstrations and live experiments – stuff you can touch, try and tinker with. You'll get exhausted just thinking about the range of themes the centre covers: human biology, physics, chemistry, information technology, space, emerging innovations, and a bit of history. And NSC is in the process of building out even more! Since its inception in 1992 by the National Council of Science Museums under the Ministry of Culture, the multi-floor space has been a popular destination for school tours, families, and geeks alike. Why go to the National Science Centre? The major crowd-pullers include the science show, the space fantasy ride, optical illusions, the mirror maze, and, of course, the newly built galleries on mining and mass media. The 3-D show, the well-stocked library, the cosy planetarium and the workshop space will keep you plenty busy. If you do find time, there's a cafeteria worth checking out. Time Out tip: You'll be running to and fro inside the centre to catch various rides and shows. The ticket counter can help you work out a tailor-made schedule. If you'd rather not rush, arrive early, and keep note of the floor number for each show.

History always sits at arm's length in most museums, kept behind glass and artefacts. At the Partition Museum, it doesn't. Tucked inside the bustling campus of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, this powerful space tells one of the most defining stories in the history of the Indian subcontinent: the Partition of 1947. The museum itself is a relatively modest collection of personal belongings, photographs and moving oral testimonies. You can wrap it up in half a day, or a full one if you're the kind who reads every label on the wall… we'd recommend the latter. Unlike museums that try to narrate entire centuries, this one zooms in on the lives of a handful of anonymous individuals: people uprooted overnight, forced to leave behind homes, communities and, in many cases, loved ones. It's history on a deeply human scale. What's inside the Partition Museum? Follow the museum's six galleries chronologically, and you'll travel through one of the most defining moments in South Asian history. One standout exhibit is a recreated train coach, modelled on the trains that carried refugees across the newly drawn border between India and Pakistan. And true to the museum's focus on personal stories, its audio-visual installations prove the point further: voices of survivors are documented throughout the galleries. This makes the museum especially poignant today, with many eyewitnesses to Partition now in the twilight of their lives. Documenting these stories has become a race against forgetting, p

Founded in 1972 and going strong, Akshara Theatre’s evolved in identity multiple times over. Originally a traditional theatre space, it now hosts all kinds of performances: standup shows, classical dance, workshops, television interviews, you name it. Their billboard’s always chockablock with posters telling you exactly what’s happening that week.  The space includes a modest indoor theatre, a decent-sized amphitheatre, and two other indoor performance spaces, as well as a library, a shooting and editing room for television, and a classroom that hosts theatre classes and workshops, all in a single acre of land. Don’t go by size: Akshara’s a behemoth on the Delhi performance scene. It’s a beautiful space too, with vaguely brutalist metal and stonework that makes the venue feel cool and airy even on the hottest summer day. Time Out tip: You’ll find loads of tea and snack stalls right outside the theatre – especially handy since there’s no food or drink served inside.

The Laugh Store comedy club’s a giant of the Delhi comedy scene. The ‘Hall of Fame’ right outside the club displays the pictures of A-listers who performed over the last decade: Kenny Sebastian, Akash Gupta, Manik Mahna, and many many more.  The 100-seater venue’s got a superb sound system, theatrical lighting, and a stage best suited to open mics. It’s got two outlets: one in Dwarka, and the other in Gurugram, but I’d say the latter’s more happening. Food and drink are available at affordable prices, and they’ve got a good happy hour menu too.

Sanjay Van is one of Delhi’s largest green spaces – a sprawling, almost hulkish forest that straddles Vasant Kunj and Mehrauli – two neighbourhoods that are constantly abuzz. The forest, then, is a lovely contradiction, because it’s one of the least crowded spaces in Delhi.  The area – a protected forest, by the way – actually forms part of the residual Aravalli ranges, and the terrain reflects that lineage. No two trails look alike. Some stretches are flat and easy while others will slope sharply uphill, dip into uneven paths, or wind around water bodies. Giant rocks left behind by the Aravallis jut out of the earth in several places, and loads of natural water drains zig-zag through the forest. You can imagine the wildlife here, then –  silverbills, flycatchers, parakeets, cuckoos, egrets and sparrowhawks. The massive acreage allows you to shape a nice day out of it – a picnic in one of the clearings or by Neela Hauz lake (with some duck watching to go with!), cycling through the winding trails, a bit of a hike, even.  Time Out tip: Remain watchful of monkeys and stray dogs, even though guards patrol the area. They’re usually harmless if left undisturbed, but carrying a wooden stick can help keep them at bay when needed. Rough walking shoes advised.  Entry The main entry point is near the Qutab Institutional Area in Mehrauli. 

Sunder Nursery's arguably the most popular outdoor space in all of Delhi. A 90-acre heritage park located adjacent to Humayun's Tomb and across the Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti, the nursery's served a bunch of different purposes over the centuries. What began as a garden – Azim Bagh – built by the Mughals in the 16th century was transformed into a nursery by the British during colonial-era India in their attempt to cultivate a range of different species of plants. It was finally opened to the public in 2018 after extensive renovations in its current, full glory. You'll find traces of every bit of this history in the park today: all of the 15 monuments inside date back to the Mughal era, of which six are UNESCO heritage monuments. All of them – including the Sunder Burj, Sunderwala Mahal, Lakkarwala Burj and the tomb of Mirza Muzaffar Hussain – sit comfortably within the landscaped sections of the park, instead of being cordoned off. Some are large, central, and lit up at night. Others are tucked into the woodsier corners of the park. The entire space, in fact, harkens back to the Mughal pleasure garden: central fountains, paved walkways, symmetrical lawns, shaded paths. The site, by virtue of it sitting inside the larger Humayun's Tomb complex, is incidentally a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  You'll find traces of the nursery too: the entire left wall of the space has thousands of plants on offer, with some bulbs and seed varieties starting at a throwaway ₹15. There's some sort of r

One of the more well-known parks of Delhi, Deer Park is a hotspot for two reasons: because it forms a natural, wooded outcrop of the intensely popular Hauz Khas Village, and because it’s home to several absurdly adorable deer. Because it’s so large, it’s got something for everyone: a manicured bit with lawns and flowerbeds perfect for picnicking; a densely wooded section with trails that are preferred by walkers and joggers; a rose garden; several tiny Sultanate- and Mughal-era monuments (Bagh-i-Gumbad, Kufhe Walla Gumbad, Kali Gomti); a tiny water body section shared by rabbits and ducks; and, of course, the aforementioned deer enclosure.  The park touches three neighbourhoods: Hauz Khas, Safdarjung Enclave, and Green Park. On the Hauz Khas side, the park’s connected to the Hauz Khas District Park from the inside, which features a massive lake, a view of the Hauz Khas Fort, and a little alleyway leading to countless restaurants, bars, and cafes.  Time Out tip: Avoid bringing your vehicle if you’re entering from the Hauz Khas side. It’s a pain to navigate the tourist spot, especially in the evenings.         

Planning to stock up on booze for the festive season? You might have to re-check the price tag before you start filling a trolley at any of Delhi’s liquor marts. Liquor prices in Delhi are expected to rise, what with the capital’s new excise policy expected to roll out in October 2026. The policy, which is almost ready according to The Indian Express, proposes a number of changes to the way liquor is bought and sold in the capital. A major change proposed in the new policy is the removal of fixed retail margins, which is the amount retailers are allowed to add to the price of a bottle as their profit. Under the new system, that fixed cap could go, and retailers would have more freedom to decide their margins, which means prices could go up or down depending on how shops choose to compete. In short: the same bottle could become cheaper at one shop and pricier at another. What does a fixed retailer margin mean for your bottle of whisky? At present, the difference in alcohol prices between Delhi and its neighbouring cities can be rather eye-watering. Take Johnnie Walker Black Label, for example. A bottle that costs around ₹3,500 in Delhi can reportedly be found for around ₹2,400 in Gurugram. A major reason for this price gap is Delhi’s fixed-margin system. Remove that restriction, and retailers could have more room to adjust their prices. This might make Delhi’s booze shelves a little more competitive with those just across the border. The same goes for Scotch whisky. Current re

Delhi has entered one of its most consequential election seasons: THE BEST FAT DOG. Inspired by Alaska’s annual Fat Bear Week, the capital now has its own competition for the city’s fattest dogs. The buzzy competition is hosted by an Instagram page, Fat Dogs of Delhi, featuring canines from across Delhi. The competition was announced online earlier this week and got entries from some 64 dogs. One will be crowned the ‘Fattest Dog of Delhi’ via an Instagram poll. There are a total of six rounds running from September 24 to 29.  Before you pass it off as a joke, let us tell you... this is barely one. Campaigns are going rogue and all out for the final trophy. Some have posters stuck on walls and tree trunks, while others are using Instagram influencers to spread the word. Fat Dogs of Delhi, if you insist enough, can place your promotional poster on their page. In all, it’s as serious as a mayor’s election. There are currently no prizes, although the page says it’s pretty much open to sponsors for that. Some very well-earned dog treats, maybe. The competition is... ruff. How can your dog (or you) join? This competition is open to dogs across Delhi. The dog guardian (or guardians, if it’s a street pup) can enter the competition by sending a snapshot of the dog, along with its name and area, to the Fat Dogs of Delhi Instagram page. From your friendly home Labrador to the bulkier pug to the neighbourhood-popular indie, everyone can join. Those who don’t have a dog still have a stake

  A gig in Delhi is one thing. Doing it with Purana Qila as the backdrop is entirely something else. New Zealand-based vocalist Amrita Kaur is set to do exactly that this October, returning to India for a two-part musical experience over a weekend. What better way to ring in the winter than Purana Qila concerts? Presented by Inkpot India as part of its Songs of the Stone series, Dusk to Dawn is, quite literally, that. Spanning an evening and the following morning, the experience brings together two performances with the fort's sandstone walls acting as the third performer. Kaur will move through ghazal, Indian classical, Sufi and contemporary music as the sun slips away at dusk. Twelve hours later, she returns to the fort for a more contemplative programme of spiritual music at first light. In between, there's plenty to keep you occupied: food, storytelling and a bazaar featuring textiles and weaving, along with workshops exploring craft and sound therapy. What is Songs of the Stone? Songs of the Stone is Inkpot India’s heritage and music series which places contemporary musicians inside historic monuments. In doing so, it brings music, storytelling and architecture together, allowing each to enhance the way you experience the other. The series began at Qutub Minar, with its first two editions featuring sarangi virtuoso Mehtab Ali Niazi and Grammy Award-winning flautist Rakesh Chaurasia and his ensemble. Together, the concerts drew more than 850 audience members. With Dusk to

Delhi commuters, your Barapullah shortcut is about to get a little more useful. After nearly a decade of construction, Phase 3 of the Barapullah Elevated Corridor is finally set to open to traffic on September 29. The 3.5-km elevated stretch will directly connect Mayur Vihar Phase I with Sarai Kale Khan, extending the existing Barapullah network and promising to cut the journey between the two points from around 35–45 minutes to just 15 minutes. For anyone who regularly crosses east Delhi towards south Delhi, that could mean considerably less time staring at brake lights and considerably more time doing, well, anything else. The latest stretch is part of the long-awaited expansion of the Barapullah corridor, which has been steadily reshaping how traffic moves across this part of the capital. And yes, after almost ten years of waiting, September 29 is finally looking like the date to watch. Here is everything you need to know before racing on the new corridor. Where does Barapullah Phase 3 take you? The Phase 3 corridor will run between Mayur Vihar Phase I and Sarai Kale Khan, from where commuters will have improved access towards AIIMS and other parts of South Delhi. How much time are you going to save? For commuters heading towards AIIMS, the journey could drop from around 35–40 minutes to nearly 15 minutes. All thanks to the elevated, largely signal-free route that plugs into the existing Barapullah network to create a continuous route of nearly 9 km. The improved connectiv

Loved watching Netflix's latest Musafir Cafe? Now, you can walk into it! Actor-producer Vikrant Massey is taking the Musafir Cafe universe beyond the screen and into real life, with two series-inspired cafes in the works. One's planned to debut in Himachal Pradesh, and the other in Uttarakhand. His production house, Homemade Stories, is doing the legwork. And these won’t be your standard coffee-and-croissant pit stops. The upcoming cafés are reportedly being designed to resemble the one seen in the series, complete with around 20 rooms dedicated to artist residencies at each location. The vision is to give a creative breather to people, somewhere to stay, work, and connect with fellow artists. What’s the lore behind the Musafir Cafe series? Adapted from Divya Prakash Dubey’s novel of the same name, the series follows Chander (Vikrant Massey), who moves to the hills while trying to rebuild his life. Here, he meets Sudha (Vedika Pinto) through a matrimonial arrangement, and the two eventually fall in love. But their paths eventually diverge, and Chander finds himself running Musafir Cafe, where he meets Preeti (Mahima Makwana). As Chander and Preeti navigate their growing feelings for each other, Sudha decides to meet Chander one last time. And we’ll leave you with that cliffhanger. Because Season 2 is already in development, with Vikrant Massey, Vedika Pinto, Mahima Makwana and Adil Hussain set to reprise their respective roles. Massey’s idea of a cafe in the hills The series

Our country sits in the tropics, so for most parts of the year, we’re weeping sweat and dodging the sun, but come September, that status quo shifts, and for good. Why? Because it's FESTIVAL SEASON!  The weather shifts to a balmier, breezier temperature, opening up the great outdoors for public consumption; outdoor spots like parks and monuments become home to events and picnics, while open-air venues get a stacked calendar all the way until March, hosting music, art, and nature festivals.  What's more – India’s festival calendar is getting increasingly eclectic, with sprawling music gatherings sitting alongside art fairs, cultural showcases, wellness weekends and wonderfully niche celebrations. Take the recently concluded Akasa Gatheringz, for instance, which was a boutique wellness and music festival in the Ladakh desert, or even the upcoming Ziro Festival, which has a stacked lineup of musicians playing against the mighty hills of Arunachal Pradesh.  Whether you’re after big-name acts, experimental art, local traditions or simply a good excuse to leave town, these are the festivals worth having on your radar over the months ahead. Casa Bacardi | Dehradun, Uttarakhand For two days, all you’ll experience are mountain skies, live music and tropical cocktails, because the Casa Bacardi festival is as much a musical festival as it is an excuse to start drinking in the day. Beyond the stages, wander through the venue’s immersive workshops, engagement zones and pop-ups spanning som

IndiGo has increased charges for a handful of passenger services, giving flyers another reason to check the fine print before booking their next flight. The airline revised fees for select add-ons on Friday, September 18, with the changes affecting services that passengers can opt for while booking or managing an IndiGo flight. The fare hike does not mean every IndiGo flight ticket has suddenly become more expensive, but travellers booking flights with add-ons should expect to pay more depending on the service they choose. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest IndiGo charges, what has changed and how much more passengers will have to pay. Why's Indigo increasing certain charges? The timing is significant. With rising crude oil prices putting pressure on airlines’ operating costs, higher fees for optional services could help IndiGo offset some of that squeeze. For passengers, however, the changes mean that some of the extras that make flying a little more convenient will now cost more. What’s getting more expensive? Quite a few things, as it turns out. According to a report by Business Standard, IndiGo has raised charges for services including infant travel, unaccompanied minors and excess baggage. Parents, be prepared to spend more Indigo infant charges – that is, the fee for infants travelling on domestic flights – has gone up to ₹3,000 from ₹2,200. The unaccompanied minor fee has climbed to ₹5,999, from ₹5,000. That’s an extra ₹999 for children flying without

A pianist and music educator from Nagaland, Khyochano, started the Brillante Piano Festival in Kohima in 2017 with a simple aim: to build a strong community around music. Seven years on, that idea has grown considerably, with Brillante now travelling to cities across India. Delhi is next. The capital will host its inaugural Brillante piano contest from September 18 to 20, as part of a three-day line-up bringing together musicians, educators and audiences, with participants from more than 18 states and overseas. But Brillante isn't just about the piano. The multi-genre festival also puts music pedagogy and conversations around music centre stage. What’s the Brillante Festival about? The three-day festival is not about keeping music humbly confined to the concert hall. Brillante’s programming brings together classical, jazz, contemporary and experimental music, alongside piano competitions, recitals, pedagogy programmes, creative labs and mentorships. There are established musicians, yes, but also young performers looking for their first real stage. Then there is Street Piano: an invitation to take the instrument out of its usual habitat and put it where people actually are. The point is simply to get participation. Children are welcomed to encounter music, too, besides the kind of audiences who may never have thought of a piano recital as something meant for them. Students are going to find teachers, and teachers can exchange ideas. In 2021, Brillante also introduced Specially

More than half of Nagaland’s population is agroforestry-dependent, and so it’s very obvious that this translates into many of the state’s festivals. The legendary Hornbill Festival is, then, no surprise, and the 2026 edition is set to return to Nagaland from December 1 to 10, bringing 10 days of Naga culture, music, food, traditional performances, crafts and indigenous sports to Kisama Heritage Village near Kohima. Organised by the Government of Nagaland, the annual festival is one of the state’s biggest cultural events and has been held every December since 2000. For the indigenous people of Nagaland, the 10-day fest is a sacred occasion, and for travellers like you and me, it’s more like a gateway to not only Nagaland’s traditions and food, but also to its breathtaking valleys. Planning to attend? Here’s everything you need to know about Hornbill Festival 2026, including the dates, venue, how to get there, tickets, what to expect, events and things to do around Kohima. What does the Hornbill Festival celebrate?   Named after the large and colourful hornbill bird, which holds immense cultural, sacred, and symbolic value in Naga folklore and traditions, the festival celebrates the different tribes of Nagaland. Conceived in 2000 by the state government, it usually takes place every year during the first week of December.    The show puts up a dazzling mix of Nagaland’s cultures and traditions under one roof. And there’s plenty to keep visitors entertained, too: the popular Ho

Delhi audiences, arguably, are the most welcoming (and somehow, simultaneously, the most tough ) when it comes to stand-up comics. Following that claim, this month, a couple dozen stand-up comics will test out that claim. Delhi’s September calendar is already busy, also because many stand-up shows taking over venues across the city this month. And why not, we've got a couple of dedicated comedy clubs in Delhi. Whether you’re after a big-name comic, a new set to discover or an excuse to spend an evening laughing at someone else’s problems, there’s plenty on the schedule. From a massive solo by Abhishek Upmanyu to an all-Dalit comedy line-up and a three-comic bill at Hauz Khas, here are the stand-up shows worth knowing about this September. Toxic | Abhishek Upmanyu Live If you like your comedy slow, neat and very well attended, start here. Abhishek Upmanyu is bringing his houseful show, 'Toxic', to Delhi yet again. Judging by the interest already registered for the show, half the city appears to have already watched the show, which is listed for Kedarnath Sahni Auditorium, Upmanyu's favourite venue in Delhi. Some points on the comic himself – Abhishek’s observational comedy is among India’s most widely loved, thanks in part to a delivery so disarmingly simple it almost reads as bland… until, of course, the punch lands. He has a take on just about everything: technology, animals, families, money and love. What’s remarkable is how he keeps returning to these familiar territories,

Off-White has opened its second flagship store in India at DLF Promenade in New Delhi, bringing the global luxury streetwear label’s latest collections to the capital. The Delhi store follows the brand’s India debut in Bengaluru earlier this year, and stocks its edit of ready-to-wear, footwear, bags and accessories. Where's the store? Find the store on DLF Promenade mall's ground floor. The space itself stays true to Off-White’s design genes, with industrial metal, soft curved lines, a compact seating area and a bright blue table crowded with merchandise. The new store brings together men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, bags, footwear and a curated selection of lifestyle pieces. This outlet has brought contemporary luxury to the capital’s notoriously fashion-conscious crowd. And Off-White’s pitch isn’t just about clothes; it’s about individuality, too. What's Off-White? Founded by the late designer Virgil Abloh, Off-White has long blurred the lines between fashion, architecture, music and art. Today, the brand sits within Bluestar Alliance’s portfolio as part of its global brand management business. Off-White boasts some 600 licensees and operates a network of over 500 branded retail stores, with reported global retail sales exceeding $13 billion. In India, Off-White operates in partnership with omni-channel business Brand Concepts Ltd. This is the same brand that holds distribution rights for licensed labels including Tommy Hilfiger, Juicy Couture, Superdry and Aeropostale. Fo

Mumbai's not the only city facing crackdowns on beloved food outlets found to be operating unhygienically – and Kolkata residents, we have some not-so-tasty news for you. A city-wide food safety drive has put around 40 restaurants and eating joints on an indefinite pause, with their licences suspended. This, of course, is a major development in the city ahead of Durga Puja, especially because several extremely popular eateries are facing action, including Don Giovanni, Balaram Mullick, Kurry Patta, Karim's, Nizam's, and more. The crackdown was part of a week-long food safety drive, which found several violations related to food safety and hygiene, including pests, rotten food, expired products, and more. It wasn't just restaurants under the scanner – the drive extended to hotels, clubs, markets, and bazaars. At each of the places, kitchens and storage facilities were inspected.  What’s shutting down? The crackdown covered a total of 162 restaurants, eateries and sweet shops across Kolkata and its surrounding areas, under the ongoing Special Food Safety Week drive, launched by the Kolkata Municipal Council on September 1.Some big names have also made it to the list: the 94-year-old Nizam’s, Shimla Biryani on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, an outlet of Kareem’s on Ripon Street, an Arsalan outlet in Nagerbazar, Don Giovanni’s, Balaram Mullick and Radharaman Mullick, Sri Hari and several others. What did the inspections find? According to officials from the state health departm