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Free Family Funday: Explorer’s Passport

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Phoenix 4 Midland Street
Leicester, LE1 1TG United Kingdom
2 August 2025
11:30 am

Enjoy a perfect day with your children and family, discovering the heritage of Indian arts and music, while exploring delicious food and vibrant activities across two lively venues in Leicester.

This year, don’t miss the Explorer’s Passport Experience, which returns for the second year in the row at our Darbar Culture Festival.

FREE ENTRY FOR ALL!

Only pay for the physical Explorer’s Passport (only 100 copies available)

While the Digital Passports will be free to download on your phone when you enter the experience, you can purchase a physical copy on the door or before hand for you and your kids for a more immersive experience.

 

What to Expect:

Free Children’s Explorer’s Passport Experience:

Designed especially for children (ages 5 and above), the Explorer’s Passport turns the day into a fun-filled adventure. As they explore different creative zones across LCB Depot and Phoenix Cinema, children collect stickers, learn about Indian classical instruments, dance styles, and traditions, and complete challenges along the way. At the end of their journey, they’ll receive a souvenir photo to commemorate their experience.

 

Free Indian Traditional Dance Performance:

Be captivated by the storytelling and rhythm of classical Indian dance forms including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Kuchipudi, brought to life through expressive movement and intricate footwork of the Nupur Arts dancers.

 

Free Interactive Workshops and Demonstrations (materials / instruments included):

Children and families can try out basic classical music and dance techniques in engaging, hands-on sessions with performers from Darbar and Nupur Arts.

 

Indian Arts & Crafts and Cultural Displays:

Explore South Asian art and craft traditions with live demonstrations. Take part in creative workshops, including painting, and make-your-own postcards. Henna art and face painting stalls will also be available (pay as you go)

 

Indian Street Food & Drinks:

Grab a bite to eat at the Phoenix Café-Bar or Grays Cafe(LCB Depot), serving up South Asian-inspired snacks, sweets, and refreshments throughout the day.

Date: Saturday 2nd August 2025

Time: 11:30am – 4:30pm

Venues: LCB Depot & Phoenix Cinema, Leicester Cultural Quarter

Admission is free and open to everyone. Come celebrate the sights, sounds, and stories of Indian culture!

 

Sign-Up & Passport Purchase:

To take part in the Explorer’s Passport Experience, advance sign-up is required. When registering, you’ll be asked to confirm the number of people in your group and how many child passports you’d like to purchase. Once your booking is confirmed, you’ll receive details of your designated starting point — either LCB Depot or Phoenix Cinema — based on your selected attendance slot. This helps us manage flow and ensure every child enjoys the full journey at a relaxed pace.

We recommend early booking, as physical passports are limited.

'T' for Tabla with Gurdain Rayatt

Learn to play tabla from beginners to advance with Gurdain Rayatt. Online classes are starting soon!

Aruna Sairam | Kalinga Nartana Tillana | Krishna

Aruna Sairam | Kalinga Nartana Tillana | Krishna's Serpent Dance

Recorded at Darbar Festival on 17 Sep 2016, at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Musicians: - Aruna Sairam (carnatic vocal) - Jayanthi Kumaresh (saraswati veena) - Jyotsna Srikanth (carnatic violin) - Nevyelli Venkatesh (mridangam) - Ghatam Karthick (ghatam) - Kruthika Nadarajah (tanpura) - Mithila Sharma (tanpura) An extraordinary vocal recreation of Lord Krishna’s mythical battle with Kaliya, the fearsome five-headed snake who boiled the waters of the Yamuna River around them. Kalinga Nartana Tillana is Aruna Sairam’s vocal rendition of Lord Krishna’s mythical battle with Kaliya, the fearsome five-headed snake who boiled the waters of the Yamuna River around him as they fought. It is based on a 18th century composition by Oothukkadu Venkata Subba Iyer, complete with rhythmic vocalisations to describe Krishna’s battle dance, and the hissing sounds of the snake. The music is set to the pentatonic Raga Gambhiranata, in the 8-beat Adi Tala. Aruna Sairam’s voice brings a husky authority to modern Carnatic music. She first learnt to sing by listening to her mother and is part of a long line of female musicians. The direct teaching lineage stretches back over 200 years, to the singers and dancers of the Tamil court. She is an exponent of ‘pure’ Carnatic singing but also looks outwards, with collaborations ranging from jazz and Sufi to Gregorian chant and film scores. She sings in 12 different languages, and vice-chairs the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s premier national music and dance institution. She pulls no punches when it comes to the psychological obstacles faced by female musicians today: “You’re constantly told you’re not good enough…it can be more difficult to be in touch with your inner talents, as society expects women to nourish others first.”