Christmas Eve 2024: It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Bandra

Rahool N Kanal’s volunteer team sets up the Bandra Wonderland decorations at Bandra Reclamation. Pic/Ashish Raje

Like every December for the past decade, Bandra is once again abuzz with excitement over Wonderland, a unique community festival organised at Bandra Reclamation. Between December 23 and January 1, the entire promenade is lined with Christmas trees and lit up for the occasion. The Carter Road amphitheatre is turned into a festive venue for live street performances, installations and other activities between 6 and 10 pm. There's a kids zone with trampolines and rides, as well as mascots such as Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse for fun interactions and photo ops. On December 30, children can enjoy activities such as pottery and T-shirt making free of cost.

Ashish Shelar

The decade-old event was originally started by Bandra boy, social worker and politician Rahool N Kanal with the support of Bandra MLA and BJP leader Ashish Shelar. "The aim was to spread the message of oneness and brotherhood across all communities," said the duo. Kanal, president of the I Love Mumbai Foundation and a Shinde Sena leader, said, "I was born and raised in Bandra. For us, December has always been a time of celebration, eagerly awaited since childhood, especially with the school holidays. Bandra's vibrant mix of cultures inspired us to create a festival where people from all walks of life could come together to celebrate - and the best part was, it would be free for everyone."

Shelar said it was this message of unity that had made the festival popular with people from all walks of life. "Bandra, the Queen of Suburbs, is a melting pot of all communities and Bandra Wonderland has become an anchor of this vision over the past few years," he said. Kanal, also an environment and animal welfare activist, said that they had prioritised green festivities. "Organising an event with such a huge footfall is not an easy task," though, says Shelar. "We work in coordination with all government agencies, including BMC, traffic police and police. In order to prevent traffic jams, this year we will have around 100 traffic wardens on duty," Kanal added.