The Ultimate Homegrown Valentine's Day Gift Guide

For those who are lovesick or sick of love, Valentine’s Day is around the corner. And if you know anything about us, it’s that we love love just as much as you do.

Whether your Valentine is a partner or multiple partners, your mum, or even just yourself, Homegrown has your back!

Here is a suggestion, advice, opportunity, call it what you may, how about you think big this time?! Maybe, plan long term. No, we do not mean to instill the far echoes of wedding bells in your head. We are suggesting something more fun; more wholesome. Something for everybody. We are suggesting tickets to India’s Premier Culture and Lifestyle Festival; The Homegrown Festival.

The Homegrown Festival is a two-day festival taking place on February 22 & 23 in Mumbai that is at the intersection of creativity, music, art and design, fashion, film and photography, technology, sneakers and street culture, sports, culinary, innovation and more, organized by all of us at team Homegrown.

Here’s why the Homegrown Festival is going to make the best Valentine’s Day gift you could possibly get. To start with, it’s a first-of-its-kind culture and lifestyle festival in India that will weave Homegrown, South Asian and global talent to reimagine the fabric that defines contemporary Indian culture and creativity today. It’s also going to be a platform for exchanges of ideas, and diverse perspectives matched with the energy of next-generation talent, unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. To top it all off, everybody is welcome. It’s space for all ages, perspectives and interests.

And just in case you need a few more reasons:

It’s A Valentine’s Gift Like No Other

So, don’t just think short-term. Be a Valentine icon. This Valentine’s Day gift your partner (s) and/or yourself a two-day-long adventure while subtly ensuring their companionship will last at least till the next month.

A little awkward about initiating hand-holding, are you? Bring your Valentine to any of the performances, which includes 20+ music artists like Peter Cat Recording Co, Akshat, Reble, Yashraj, Prabh Deep x Sickflip among more. Use the opportunity to interlink your fingers and flash some of that rizz. You don’t need to limit yourself to one Valentine. Gift a ticket to yourself or multiple people (we would certainly like that).

Have an annoying cousin you’d like to bribe into not being a third wheel this Valentine’s Day? Gift them tickets too! We're spread across 3 warehouses so it'll be easy to lose them. Play the long game.

Break Away From The Same, Tired Old Valentine’s Day Plans: GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE FESTIVAL

Planning on morphing into a couch potato and flipping through some Netflix? We've got you covered! Register for one of our panels at the #HGStreet Festival, and who knows, maybe you can create a timeless work of your own!

Are you into the ‘wax eloquent on the first date’ kind of person? The kind that goes to photo galleries and agrees to disagree as to what the artist is ‘really’ trying to convey? Well, Valentine's Day may be an inconvenient weekday for that but you can always come to The Homegrown Festival for a stroll through Nimish Kotwal's art installation SINNER, or Santanu Hazarika's solo art exhibit It is a foolproof way to your intellectual soul mate’s heart!

Don’t gift yourself or your partner(s) flowers this Valentine’s Day. They shrivel up real quick. Instead, give them the thrill of a lifetime at Mumbai's first-ever drift experience by Bad Boy Drifts. Watch expert drifters push their machines to the limit, sit in the passenger seat for a thrilling firsthand experience, or learn the basics of drifting from professionals.

The excitement will last for at least a month, if not more.

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Love Is Art & Art Is Love

Have your very own long-term love story with art? But no time to celebrate it on a Valentine’s Day weekday? You can now gift yourself a ticket to The Homegrown Festival to catch a premiere of Shibani Mitra's short film Memories of a Poet of the screenings of Homegrown and South Asian talent. Everyone loves some Indie soul-baring!

Get your own creative juices flowing and take that leap as an artist by attending the panels we have for you. RE-IMAGINING IDENTITY & STORYTELLING IN INDIA will feature Indian filmmaker Nag Ashwin Reddy who created Kalki 2898 AD alongside the director of Kho Gaye Hum Kahan, Arjun Varain Singh. THE NEW SOUNDSCAPE: INDIA'S GLOBAL SONIC SHIFT BY HOMEGROWN MUSIC will be lead by global South Asian artists like Raja Kumari. The Homegrown Festival is THE place to be a part of the dialogue around film and music.

The Couple That Attends Exhibitions Together, Stay Together.

You might think that intimacy is not something you'd find in an old warehouse among thousands of people. But we'd like you to reconsider because our Photo Exhibits are romantic as hell. Photographer Imdad Barbhuyan is a master of capturing tenderness in his images and his exhibit will take you to a really soft place in your hearts. Indrajit Khambe's portrayal of home and humanity in his images will bring you closer to the natural world. Beware; you might wanna go on a camping trip together after this. Kirti Narain's work has some shock value in it. Her strong depiction of femininity and power will most definitely leave an impression on you.

Pour Up, Eat Up & Drink Up At Homegrown Street!

Amateur and veteran day drinkers, foodies and cuisine connoisseurs; we’ve got you covered as well! A festival without any buzz? Literally and metaphorically impossible. Start the party early over the weekend and head to a set of immersive culinary we've planned for you. Our food & drink pop-ups will include everything from full-fledged culinary experiences to the best Mumbai street food has to offer.

Treat Yo’ Self This Valentine’s Day With #HGSupply

Think about that one pair of baggy trousers you’ve always wanted. You can always buy them at the festival itself while surrounded by like-minded streetwear enthusiasts. You can shop from cutting-edge brands like Archaic, Zabarvan, Koko Bongo, Project Street, Manaca and more. Beyond fashion, we’ll have a whole host of varied homegrown pop-ups all under one roof. There’ll be no scouring Instagram that weekend!

Look, all we are really trying to say is that one day, a weekday that too, is too short a period to celebrate love. Love deserves its very own weekend and we say that the weekend should be February 22 and 23 at the Homegrown Festival in Mumbai.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE HOMEGROWN FESTIVAL SO FAR:

- 20+ next-gen music acts from India and abroad.

- 6 Talks: Panels & fire-side conversations led by various cultural and creative thought leaders spanning across various disciplines including Arjun Varain Singh (Dir. Watch Kho Gaye Hum Kahan), Nag Ashwin (Dir. Kalki 2898 AD & Mahanati), and Raja Kumari (singles like 'Shook', 'City Slums')

- EXHIBITIONS: A space for homegrown & South Asian creatives like Santanu Hazarika, Nimish Kotwal, Shibani Mitra, Imdad Barbhuyan and more to showcase their works of art along with new age experiences by curated brands.

- A DRIFT TRACK: Come experience Mumbai's first night drift experience in the heart of the city with Bad Boi Drifts — training, showcases, and more.

- A SKATE PARK: Explore a never-seen-before skatepark flown in from Portugal by Ride Further Tour featuring 6 global pro and 20+ Indian skate & BMX athletes — exclusive workshops, showcase runs, performances, contests and more!

- #HGSupply: A shopping district featuring 30+ brands at the forefront of fashion, sustainability, beauty & wellness and more.

- WORKSHOPS: A makerspace with unique workshops and masterclasses by leading creatives & more.

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- 15+ homegrown and Mumbai street food pop-ups.

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- ++ AND A LOT MORE TO BE RELEASED IN THE COMING WEEKS.

So, come join us in our celebration of love for creativity, identity, community, and everything youth culture. We look forward to seeing you at The Homegrown Festival on the 22nd and 23rd of February, 2025. Phase 1 passes are selling at a very economical price of ₹1500, so even those of you in college and on a budget can get in on what’s going down.

P.S. You might just encounter a litter of pups. No promises, though.

For more details, head to @homegrownin @homegrownstreet & homegrown.co.in