The Ganesh festival is a big deal in Mumbai. A time to celebrate with friends and family, we know this festival also requires a whole lot of prep! Whether you're looking for where to shop for decorations, sweets, clothes and more we've got you covered.
Here's Our Essential Guide To Celebrating Ganesh Festival In Mumbai
The information in this post might be outdated
Ganesh Idol
The first step to celebrating Ganesh Festival is of course, the idol. The steets of Mumbai come alive with makeshift workshops and little studios that are busy creating the perfect idol for you to take home. Especially the areas around Chinchpokli, Parel, and Lalbaug, traditionally associated with the festival, are one of the best places to watch idol making in action for yourself. One of the most famous workshops is Vijay Khatu Arts at Parel Railway Workshop, known for making the iconic Lalbaug Cha Raja.
If you prefer to shop online, there are several eco-friendly options like Tree Ganesha and My Eco Ganesha. We suggest you book your idol at least 10-15 days before you need to bring the idol home.
Decoration
It's time to set up your house in readiness for Ganesha! And decoration is always an especially fun part, at least for us. From all the essentials for the puja to making your house look beautiful in readiness for the celebration, Mumbai's markets are the best place to shop. Perhaps this year you have a theme for your home pandal, but even if you plan on keeping it simple, you'll still find what you need at these markets. Dadar Market is of course a favourite pick, though we hear Vile Parle, Goregaon and Andheri Market are fantastic too!
Flowers
The all-time classic for flower decorations is of course Dadar Market. Whether you're looking for simple flowers for puja celebrations or something more elaborate, Dadar Flower Market is THE spot. If you're looking for more exotic and imported flowers, this is the place to check out - best of all prices are some of the lowest you'll find in the city.
Besides Dadar Flower Market, the street markets around the city are equally good for buying flowers.
#LBBTip: Please get here as early as possible!
Sweets
How can any Indian festival be complete without sweets. Ganesh festival is no different either. While many households make their own sweets for family and friends, there are still those classics that you can order from if you are short on time to make these in your own house. Also, as with every festival, there is a specific sweet that is unique to the period - that is modaks. These delicious sweet dumplings are traditionally made with rice flour and filled with a coconut jaggery filling. You also get other varieties like mawa modaks.
Iconic places to buy these sweet treats include Modakam, Prabhadevi; Aaswad and Panshikar in Dadar; New Karachi Sweets, Khar and MM Mithaiwala, Malad.
Clothes
Festive wear is always fun to shop for and we definitely think you should start your prep early. There's plenty of great places to explore across the city when shopping for festive clothes, and Dadar is definitely one of them! Men, if you're looking for shopping reccos in Mumbai, check out this list. For great saree options check here.
Besides these, Dadar Market, Lokhandwala Market, Chindi Market, Manish Market and Mangaldas Market too are awesome places to buy clothes at reasonable prices. If you prefer mall shopping to shopping at markets, the city has plenty of options like Infiniti Malad, Infiniti Andheri, High Street Phoenix, Phoenix Market City, and Seawoods Grand Central.
