Pune, 21st October 2026: The 72nd Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival, widely regarded as one of India’s most prestigious classical music festivals, will be held from January 13 to 17, 2027, at Fergusson College ground in Pune. Srinivas Joshi, executive president of the organising Arya Sangeet Prasarak Mandal, announced the dates and venue.
The festival, usually held in December, will take place in January this year. It is also moving from the Maharashtriya Mandal sports complex in Mukund Nagar to Fergusson College ground in Shivajinagar. This will be the first time the festival is held at the centrally located college ground.
The organisers finalised the venue after discussions with Deccan Education Society, which agreed to support the event. Since the Pune Book Festival is already scheduled at the ground in December, the Sawai festival was shifted to January. Further details about the program will be announced later.
The festival was initially held at Renuka Swaroop Prashala before moving to the grounds of New English School, Ramanbaug, where it was organised for around 35 years.
In 2019, it shifted to the Maharashtriya Mandal sports complex in Mukund Nagar. The festival was held there for five years, excluding the two years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Srinivas Joshi said Deccan Education Society had assured the organisers of full cooperation in hosting the prestigious music festival at Fergusson College. He welcomed the move, noting that the new venue would be convenient for audiences because of its central location.
