Mumbai markets are buzzing with festive decor and traditional sweets as people gear up to celebrate Christmas tomorrow. A number of events are going on in the city - from musical walks to traditional meals and DIY decor workshops.

A musical walk, Jazz with Joe, will take place in Bandra on December 29. It will have trumpet player, Joe Vessaokar, aka Master Joe, walking the streets of Bandra while sharing stories about the suburb. He will play Christmas songs on the trumpet. Aslam Saiyad who is organising the walk says, “Joe is East Indian and plays traditional music, which is part of the city’s culture. He will play Christmas songs on the trumpet, and we will be making pitstops where his relatives join in and they share stories of how Bandra used to be before reclamation. The Christmas walk is half an hour long and is all about celebrating the Christmas spirit along with celebrating Mumbai.”

For those looking to brush up their singing skills, singer Honey Joshi is conducting carol singing workshops throughout December. She says, “The idea is to form an inclusive, fun choir where people can come together to sing and celebrate. Each session is designed to help participants build their vocal skills, master harmonies, and prepare for a vibrant group performance.”
There are music workshops for kids, too, training them to sing holiday songs and dance to festive tunes. Gloria Sharon Dsouza, from Lil Rockstars Global, says, “Christmas music is synonymous with joy and celebration and we look at cultivating that spirit among the children.”

Baker Alisha Rodrigues is organising both offline and online workshops. She says, “From Christmas cake to bolinhas (Goan cookies), marzipans, milk toffees and mince pies, we’re spreading the art of traditional baking with our age-old recipes.”
For those who want to skip the cooking and simply enjoy a traditional Christmas meal, the event ‘Dinner at Thelma’s house’ in Bandra will serve a traditional home cooked festive Koli meal. On the menu is chicken vindaloo, fish fry, east Indian letri (rice noodle dessert) pulav, pork sorpotel and much more.
Pottery studios in the city have announced workshops where attendees can create their own Christmas tree décor and trinkets from clay. Anureet Deo, co-founder of a studio in Andheri says, “Our Christmas cheer workshop helps you create and paint DIY décor which adds a personal touch to each piece. This also makes for unique gifts for your loved ones this season.”

For those looking to declutter during the festive season, Recircle is organising a Christmas Dry Waste Collection Drive. The collected materials include paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, glass and e-waste which will be collected and sent to their material recovery facility in Dahisar.