linearಬೆಂಗಳೂರು, Bangalore’s 24-hour performing arts festival, returns for its second edition from September 26–27, 2026, bringing six premiere shows in theatre, music, and dance to venues along the Purple Metro Line. The programme spans punk rock, techno, Baul music, contemporary dance and Yakshagana, with artists and practices from across India. The festival also includes free literary walks, nature trails and community art sessions, culminating in an eight-hour all-night Yakshagana performance.
linearಬೆಂಗಳೂರು is a 24-hour performing arts festival that takes over venues along Bangalore’s Purple Metro Line, using the city’s metro network to connect audiences with theatre, music, dance and a bunch of activities outside the usual festival circuit. Their second edition brings six premiere shows across the 26th and 27th of September 2026, running from 3pm on September 26 to 3pm the following day. The programme moves from new-age punk rock and techno to Baul music, contemporary dance and traditional Yakshagana, with artists and practices coming in from places including Indore, Trivandrum, interior Bengal and the Tulu heartland.
Now, linearಬೆಂಗಳೂರು is back for its second edition, with more theatre, music and dance spread across the Purple Line. The festival continues its interest in shows from non-urban centres and unfamiliar practices, bringing together everything from the traditional theater and dance-drama art form of Yakshagana to a meeting point between Baul and Malayalam verses, alongside works exploring cosmic rotations and the pain of childbirth. The idea is to dig deeper into the unknown and expand the performing arts landscape in Bangalore through six new premiere shows.
The schedule begins with OMAR’s Omar & The Wrong Meds at Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan at 3pm on September 26, followed by a literary heritage walk through Bangalore’s Central ‘Book’ District at 5:30pm. At 7pm, Meghna Bhardwaj’s Mothers Won’t Drown comes to BLR design centre, before Sri Mahaganapathi Women’s Yakshagana Sangha takes over Play Practice at 10pm for an eight-hour Sri Devi Mahatme: A Yakshagana Night-Out. The following morning starts with the free Green Trails of Bangalore University at 6:45am, followed by Abrar Saqib’s Saturn Is My Spine at 9am, Santhi Priya’s Everyday My Love is New at noon, the free Ulsoor Sketch Party at 1:15pm, and Sherry Soni’s SOS: Midday Dance Party! at 3pm. Paid shows start at INR 499, while the walks and sketch party are free.
There is plenty happening outside the performances too. linearಬೆಂಗಳೂರು invites Bengalureans of all ages to join book walks, nature trails on Bangalore University’s campus and community art sessions in Ulsoor, all free of charge. The festival is jointly directed by Vishruti Bindal and Bharavi, who bring over three decades of experience between them. The metro-line format is central to the festival’s idea: the Purple Line connects neighbourhoods and contexts that rarely intersect, giving audiences a chance to move through parts of Bangalore they may hear about without usually visiting. As Vishruti puts it, even when the metro stops, the shows go on.
And then there is the Yakshagana night-out, which runs through the night and comes with a fairly practical festival instruction: BYOP, or Bring Your Own Pillow. With linearಬೆಂಗಳೂರು, the city gets 24 hours of performances, food, stories, walks and art, all along the Purple Metro Line. The festival runs from 26–27 September 2026, and if the premise is anything to go by, sleep can wait.
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