Navaratri Festival

Navaratri, one of India's major festival celebrations, is a time to see family and friends, enjoy music and dance, and seek blessings for new endeavors. Wesleyan's 43rd annual festival celebrates traditional Indian music and dance. 

Presented by the Center for the Arts, Music Department, and Dance Department, with leadership support from the Madhu Reddy Endowed Fund for Indian Music and Dance at Wesleyan University, and additional support from the Jon B. Higgins Memorial Fund.

Subscribe and Save 33%! 
Navaratri Festival Subscriptions include all three ticketed performances below and will be available for $50 for the general public, senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff/alumni, and non-Wesleyan students. The Wesleyan University Box Office opens for walk-up and phone sales at 860-685-3355 on Monday, August 26, 2019. Offer ends Friday, October 11, 2019.

Support the Navaratri Festival 
This year we ask you to consider a donation to honor the legacy of this longstanding tradition and to ensure that the Navaratri Festival continues for future generations. The India Arts Foundation (IAF), founded by Madhu Reddy and other artists, has been a long-standing supporter of the Navaratri Festival as well as other arts initiatives in Connecticut. IAF’s mission is to nurture, promote, and celebrate the vibrant traditions of India in America, by supporting and bringing the work of teachers, students, and practitioners, scholars, and arts organizations to wider audiences.

This year, we are asking the community to make a donation to Wesleyan University in support of the festival. IAF will generously match community donations up to $50,000 total. All donations are tax deductible and will support the festival to ensure its continuation. Donors are invited to a post-show reception in World Music Hall at Wesleyan with Amjad Ali Khan on Sunday, October 13.

If you would like to make a donation, checks should be made out to Wesleyan University, with a note that your gift is to support the Navaratri Festival:

Office of Advancement
Wesleyan University
291 Main Street
Middletown, CT 06457

Or you can donate online here. 

There are many different ways you can contribute to Wesleyan’s Navaratri Festival this year:

  • Purchase tickets for the festival (see events and ticket links below)
  • Purchase tickets for the Bhojanum (Feast) on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 6pm
  • Purchase ad space in the Navaratri program (see order form here)
  • Make a donation to the community fundraiser matched by India Arts Foundation (see above)

Image above: GRAMMY Award-nominated sarod (19-stringed instrument) master Amjad Ali Khan will be joined by his sarod-playing sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash on Sunday, October 13, 2019 at 3pm in Crowell Concert Hall. Photo by Suvo Das.

To view the archive of past Navaratri Festival events, please click here.