The Bandra Fair runs for a week from the Sunday after 8 September, the feast of the Nativity of Mary, at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount. The church stands on a hill above Bandstand and the statue has been there in some form since the sixteenth century. People of every faith come, and the stalls on the approach road sell wax figures — a limb, a heart, a house, a child — offered for whatever is being asked for or thanked for.
Christmas belongs to the East Indian villages of Bandra, Khar, Vasai and Gorai, and to the Goan and Anglo-Indian communities. Bandra’s Ranwar, Chuim and Pali villages decorate, bake and hold open house.
The names
Places, groups and events| Name | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount1640, rebuilt 1904 | Mount Mary Road, Bandra West | The church above Bandstand; the fair runs for a week from the Sunday after 8 September. |
| The wax stalls | Mount Mary Road | Wax limbs, hearts, houses and children, offered as petitions or in thanks. |
| St Andrew’s Church1575 | Hill Road, Bandra West | One of the oldest churches in the city; the East Indian parish. |
| Ranwar village | Bandra West | An original East Indian village; decorated and open at Christmas. |
| Chuim and Pali villages | Bandra West, Khar | The other surviving Bandra villages. |
| Mount Mary steps | Bandra West | The approach; lined with stalls during the fair. |
| Hearsch Bakery1936 | Waroda Road, Bandra West | East Indian bakery; the Christmas plum cake trade starts in November. |
| Bow Barracks1920s | Mumbai and Kolkata | The Anglo-Indian quarter tradition; home baking and open house at Christmas. |
| Gorai and Manori | north of Borivali | East Indian villages at the city’s northern edge. |
| Midnight Mass | Bandra, Mahim, Vasai | The churches fill; Bandra in particular. |
Worth knowing
- The fair runs a week from the Sunday after 8 September.
- The wax offerings are the thing to understand; ask a stallholder to explain them.
- People of every faith attend, which is the point of it.
- Bandra’s East Indian villages at Christmas are worth walking through.
- Order plum cake from the East Indian bakeries in November, not December.
The other festivals
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A note on this page. Festival dates move with the lunar calendar and arrangements change every year. Everything here is a snapshot of Mumbai as of 2026, offered as a starting point rather than a live listing. Check timings, routes and darshan rules before you travel.
Mandal, temple, shop and company names belong to their respective owners. Inclusion is for independent discovery only, not endorsement, ranking or affiliation.
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