Tandav: Inclusive Dance Festival in Bangalore
Experience Bangalore's largest inclusive dance festival. Over 1,500 people come together at Patel Public School in Bellandur to celebrate movement through Shinkari Melam, dhol, and dance battles where ability never sets the limit.
The Tandav season is back! Mark your calendars for December 15th. This is India's biggest and first inclusive dance festival, and it’s an experience you don't want to miss.
We are back! Tandav is a festival built over 10 years by dedicated volunteers. It's more than an event; it's a celebration of a decade of inclusive community building in Bangalore.
Hear directly from one of our original members about the power of Tandav. For 10 years, this has been India's festival of inclusion, a place where people from all walks of life come together.
The energy at Tandav is electric! We get everyone moving, from kids to volunteers to our mascot, because we believe that everybody can dance. The josh is always high!
Experience the powerful, rhythmic beats of Shinkari Melam, a traditional Keralan drum performance that is a major highlight and crowd favorite at every Tandav festival.
The celebration starts with the vibrant beats of the dhol. Here you can see the excitement as we kick off the Tandav festival, bringing together participants and volunteers in a shared moment of joy.
Watch our kids take the stage! Their performances are the heart of Tandav. We create a platform for them to shine, and their energy and talent light up the entire festival.
Pure, uninhibited joy. These children are the reason we organize Tandav. Their happiness drives our community of volunteers to dedicate their time and energy every single weekend.
A moment of focus and fun. A young participant learns a new dance move at the Tandav festival, completely absorbed in the rhythm and the supportive atmosphere around her.
Our dance workshops are designed for everyone. Here, an instructor leads the crowd through a fun, accessible routine, showing how we get up in the morning through dance moves. It's all about participation.
About Tandav: Our Flagship Inclusive Dance Festival
You will see Shinkari Melam drummers sharing the stage with DJs and volunteers dancing alongside children with disabilities. This festival proves that dance is a universal language, and here, everyone gets a turn to shine regardless of physical or cognitive ability.
We started as a small group of friends called Smileys in 2011 and have since evolved into The Inclusion Movement. Tandav is our flagship event that has run for a decade, turning festival grounds into spaces of radical equality. You will find participants ranging from school students with special needs to corporate volunteers, all united by rhythm.
We prioritize accessibility, ensuring that the ground is flat and the music is sensory-friendly for everyone. Whether you are coming to perform, paint caps at our art station, or just soak in the energy of the crowd, you are part of the family here. Our team manages the event with zero tolerance for single-use plastics and a high tolerance for fun. If you have been looking for an event in Bangalore that prioritizes community over commercialism, this is where you belong.
Smileys
We are a group of friends who started by painting on Sundays and grew into a massive movement to make volunteering accessible for everyone. We believe that if you have a passion for dance or art, you have a place with us.
Find other inclusive social events in Bangalore
Explore more ways to connect with our volunteering community.
More from Community Event and Festival Organization by Smileys