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This is Marking a decade of public art, the Lodhi Art Festival 2026 transforms Lodhi Colony into a month-long, open-air gallery of murals, performances, and community-led experiences. Curated by the St+Art India Foundation under the theme Dilate All Art Spaces, the festival explores how art moves beyond walls and into shared urban life. Featuring works by artists such as Hanif Kureshi, Sangchoju, Ishaan Bhaarat, and JuMu, the festival reflects on ecology, performance, memory, and imagination. To help visitors navigate the scale of the festival, this guide highlights key artists to look out for and nearby cafés and restaurants—ideal stops to rest, refuel, and extend the experience beyond the art itself.
From 1st to 28th February, Lodhi Art District transforms into a rotating gallery of live art and murals for the tenth edition of the Lodhi Art Festival. Lodhi Colony, built in the 1940s as one of the last housing estates developed by the British, will be reimagined as a vibrant hub for art, live music, workshops, and community-led experiences. Curated by the St+Art India Foundation and sponsored by Asian Paints, the festival brings together over 50 artists from across the world, turning everyday walls into living canvases.
Cities and public spaces have always gained deeper meaning through public art. Unlike art confined to galleries, public art becomes part of the city’s shared memory, woven into daily casual walks and neighbourhood conversations. It stands as a marker of community, resistance, and novelty, reflecting both collective histories and contemporary concerns. By existing in open, accessible spaces, public art is for everyone, dissolving barriers between audiences and art, and creating intersections between diverse communities. It ends up democratising creativity, ensuring that art is not gate-kept.
The 2026 edition is shaped by the curatorial inquiry ‘Dilate All Art Spaces’, which asks how art stretches beyond walls to function through ‘movement, attention, access, and shared presence’, allowing the district itself to become a living piece of art.
Navigating an art festival of this scale can feel overwhelming, and the main objective should always be to learn more and have fun, so we’re here to make it easier, helping you experience it without the stress. Here are a few artists to look out for at the Lodhi Arts Festival:
Hanif Kureshi, also known by his graffiti name,‘Daku’ , co-founder of the St+Art India Foundation, played a defining role in the early identity of the Lodhi Art District, transforming urban spaces into spaces of public expression. His mural at this year’s festival, created in collaboration with UK-based artist Raisa Pardini, is Kureshi’s final work. Painted after his passing, it stands in a space he helped build and nurture over the past decade: a powerful marker of his legacy.
Thirteen-year-old specially abled artist Sangchoju from Pakke, Arunachal Pradesh draws much of his inspiration from the animal world and nature. Collaborating with Svabhu Kohli, a visual artist whose practice is also rooted in ecology, Sangchoju brings his hand-drawn mythical creatures to life on the walls of Lodhi Colony. Weaving together the landscapes of the Western Ghats and the forests of Arunachal Pradesh, the mural becomes an amalgamation of both their visions, shaped by shared concerns for ecology and imagination.
Ishaan Bhaarat, also known by his artistic alias Osheen, is a New Delhi–based visual artist whose practice spans illustration, painting, aerial performance, and spatial design. His work moves fluidly between fantasy and lived experience, often blending imagined worlds, movement, and visual storytelling to create dreams like pieces. Bringing together their artistic sensibilities with artists Suso33 and Tarini Sethi, the mural becomes an embodiment of performance-forward art.
JuMu (Jurena Muñoz), a Berlin-based artist of Peruvian-Chilean heritage, blends indigenous spirituality, shamanism, and contemporary urban art in her work. Drawing on ancestral cosmologies and her own visual imagination, she creates vibrant murals and masks that weave myth and everyday life into a shared visual language. In Lodhi Colony, JuMu’s contribution brings this richly symbolic aesthetic into dialogue with local and global influences, turning wall surfaces into immersive worlds that reflect a culture’s lived experience.
After a long day of walking, you’re bound to take a few breaks, and stay hydrated, because the Delhi sun can be brutal. We’ve picked out a few watering holes near the Lodhi Art District that will satiate your cravings: perfect spots to rest and recharge, or restaurants that make for a fitting end to your journey :
A familiar Delhi pit stop, with strong coffee ideal for refuelling between murals without any fuss or frills.
A warm, art-adjacent Italian café that invites you in with its good food and vibes, acting as a nice pause point when the walking starts to catch up.
Subko’s newest flagship store in Delhi, LoCol is a calm coffee space that fits seamlessly into an art walk. Sporting a mural of its own on its terrace, LoCol is the perfect place to rest your feet but still feel like you’re a part of the art world
An easy, dependable spot for comfort food and conversation. It’s a good place to unwind over a relaxed lunch or dinner after a long day of walking through the art district.
Bright and full of energy, Guppy is a good place to end a day of art-hopping. A good choice if you want to top off your day of culture with food that feels celebratory.
Dosa is the best snack for breakfast or lunch or well, dinner. Grab a crispy evergreen favourite along with a cup of piping hot coffee at Carnatic Cafe.
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