How Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is serving as a canvas for brand engagement

When art meets a million-strong footfall, brands stop buying billboards and start handing out paintbrushes. The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival has returned for its 2026 edition, and while the ‘Black Horse’ remains the star, it’s the shift from passive sponsorship to experiential marketing that is stealing the show.

The Kala Ghoda Association, helmed by architect Rahul Mehrotra, late historian Sharada Dwivedi, and artist Brinda Miller, launched the art festival in 1999 to raise awareness about the neglected heritage district of Kala Ghoda (its namesake) and to raise funds for its restoration.  

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KGAF transforms the streets of Mumbai’s Fort area into a multidisciplinary stage by curating a diverse tapestry of exhibitions, installations, seminars, performances, heritage walks, and workshops spanning core verticals like heritage, culture, literature, cinema, music, dance, and food, making it a one-stop shop for patrons to not only interact with art but also with brands. 

The 26th edition of KGAF (January 31–February 8, 2026) is presented by India Exim Bank and co-presented by Milton.

Other sponsors include Westside as the Style Partner, Shopper’s Stop as the Fashion Partner, The Souled Store as the Merchandise Partner, Hindustan Times as the Media Partner, Black Dog Soda as the Immersive Experience Partner, Orchids International School as the Education Partner, Bharat Petroleum as the Energy Partner, Blue Tokai as the Exclusive Coffee Partner, and Society as the Exclusive Tea Partner.

Some partnerships, however, have stood out more than others. KGAF’s co-presenting partner is not just a logo placement. Milton has used its collaboration with the festival to conduct free bottle-painting workshops with patrons. 

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Experts provide guidance while Milton provides the bottles and the art supplies. The result? Patrons queue up hours in advance, numbering in the 100s for a 40-seater workshop. By pivoting from billboard visibility to experiential activities, Milton transforms a high-traffic cultural festival into a tangible touchpoint for brand affinity.  

A giant hand-painted Milton bottle also stands right in front of the brand’s kiosk in the main exhibition area, serving as a selfie spot for the lakhs of patrons who visit the festival.

The festival's Exclusive Tea Partner, Society, has also taken the consumer engagement route by planning a guided tea-tasting workshop on February 8 for the patrons, all for free.

Society also has a kiosk at the main exhibition area where the brand is selling its teas and iced teas. 

Blue Tokai, the Exclusive Coffee Partner, on the other hand, organised a free pour-over coffee brewing workshop for the patrons. By teaching them the roast profile, grind size, and brewing methods, Blue Tokai may have just created future consumers for its packaged coffee roasts in an otherwise instant-coffee world.

The brand also has multiple coffee and cookie kiosks at individual venues across the festival. 

The Black Dog’s partnership with the black horse is also mighty interesting, as the soda (read alcohol) brand has organised a week-long immersive light show called Savour the Pause, which promises to bring the Northern Lights to the CSMVS museum in Kala Ghoda.  

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Since the workshops similar to the ones mentioned above typically cost anywhere between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,500 on regular days, the free offerings by the brands are creating a buzz among consumers, resulting in heavy footfall at all workshop registration desks. 

While the presenting sponsor, India Exim Bank, has also indulged in immersive experiences like basket weaving, pottery painting and jewellery-making workshops, what sets Milton, Society and Blue Tokai apart is the fact that their activities are relevant to their products. 

These brands are creating a direct positive association between their products (bottle, tea or coffee) and the fun activities engaging the consumers. The availability of brand kiosks at the festival also allows consumers to directly translate these positive feelings into purchases. 

KGAF has always been about heritage, but for the brands on-site, it’s about the conversion funnel. When a workshop registration outpaces a digital ad's CTR, you know it was money well spent.