Serendipity Arts Festival marks 10 years with events in 10 cities

Serendipity Arts Festival is turning 10, and to celebrate that, a mini edition is set to take place at Birmingham in the UK from May 23 to 26. This festival, being presented in collaboration with Birmingham City University, would showcase performances, exhibitions, pop-up libraries and masterclasses, connecting South Asian artistic traditions with Birmingham’s diverse cultural landscape.

SAF was founded in 2016 by Sunil Kant Munjal of Hero Enterprise. Over the years, it has marked its place on the Indian art calendar as the only multi-disciplinary festival in the country, spanning fields such as arts, food, literature and crafts.

At the heart of the Birmingham edition is ‘Thumri in the Chamber’, an evocative curatorial focus exploring the layered beauty of thumri. While rooted in tradition, it reinvents thumri to make it more contemporary. The other highlight is ‘Zakir Hussain Maquette’ by Dayanita Singh, a photographic tribute capturing the tabla maestro who passed away last year. ‘Eternal Echoes’ showcases archival images of Indian musical instruments from the collection of Sunil Kant Munjal.

Curated by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, ‘Pop-Up Library: History of Indian Instruments’ would feature books on Indian music history, alongside book readings.

Smriti Rajgarhia, director of Serendipity Arts Foundation and Festival, says satellite programmes are planned across 10 cities in India and abroad. “The choice of UK and Dubai reflects our commitment to cultural place-making — identifying cities where vibrant communities, dynamic public culture, and thriving creative ecosystems intersect.”

“Birmingham, the first city in our international journey, was a natural choice. As one of the UK’s most culturally diverse cities, it is home to a rich artistic legacy — from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Birmingham Royal Ballet to the Royal Shakespeare Company and iconic cultural venues like the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Symphony Hall. Further, the city has come into the pop culture spotlight with shows like ‘Peaky Blinders’ and bold street art in Digbeth. Its ever-evolving creative landscape makes it perfect to host our first Mini Edition of Serendipity Arts Festival there,” Rajgarhia adds.

Arts