Bengaluru’s cultural calendar peaked this weekend with the Bengaluru Theatre Festival, the Bangalore Literature Festival and Bangalore Times Fashion Week unfolding across the city.
But the nationwide spate of flight cancellations and delays cast a long shadow over the festivities. Even as events proceeded as planned, organisers say the disruptions triggered frantic reshuffling, soaring travel budgets and long hours of contingency planning. Out-of-town speakers unable to attend At the Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF), organiser Ravichandar Venkataraman said the impact was significant. “Of our 285 speakers, roughly 22 out-of-station participants couldn’t make it,” he said.
Some faced cancellations, while others worried about being stuck in Bengaluru and missing other commitments. Travel costs also rose sharply, with alternative tickets averaging 25% higher and in some cases two to three times the usual fare.
Ravichandar added that rescheduling affected less than 10% of the programme, though some solo sessions were cancelled and a few required timing changes. “Sudha Murthy was originally scheduled for 2:15 pm, but had to move to 10:15 am to catch a flight back to Delhi,” he explained.
Organisers kept the website updated, and high-profile sessions with Vir Das, Banu Mushtaq and Shashi Tharoor still drew around 1,500 attendees.
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