Aarey Music Festival 2026 Calls for Volunteers as the Forest Festival Returns in December

The invitation arrives in the form of a poem. A forest cannot sing with one voice, it begins, a river cannot flow with one drop. With it, Seeds of Banyan has opened the call for volunteers for the Aarey Music Festival 2026.

The dates

• Art exhibition: 1 to 10 December 2026

• Music festival: 11 to 13 December 2026

• Venue: Aarey Forest, Mumbai
  

A festival built by its community

This will be the festival's second edition, following its first in December 2025, when the Aarey amphitheatre hosted a multi-day programme of folk and fusion music, Warli tarpa music and dance, workshops and murals. That edition was organised by environmental volunteers, artists, members of the Save Aarey movement and residents of Aarey's villages, with entry open to all on a donate-as-you-wish basis.

The 2026 call makes the same spirit explicit. Seeds of Banyan is inviting young people, artists, nature lovers, students, families and community members to the AMF Volunteer Gathering, asking them to bring ideas, energy and skills. The organisers stress that every contribution counts, whether a single hour or many days.

Why Aarey matters

Aarey has, for years, been at the centre of Mumbai's most passionate debates about urban green space. A festival that presents the forest as a living cultural space, home to communities, music and art, offers a different kind of argument for its value: one made through celebration rather than protest.

How to take part

Volunteers can register through the festival's page at seedsofbanyan.com/amf2026. The organisers' closing line sums up the intent: nature brings people together, and community makes the dream possible.

Readers interested in Mumbai's growing green-culture movement may also want to read about Make Mumbai Green Again, The Bombay Canteen's series on restoring the city's green spaces.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Aarey Music Festival 2026?

The art exhibition runs from 1 to 10 December and the music festival from 11 to 13 December 2026, in Aarey Forest, Mumbai.

Who organises the Aarey Music Festival?

Seeds of Banyan, a volunteer-led community initiative working in the Aarey Forest.

How can I volunteer?

Register through the Seeds of Banyan festival page, seedsofbanyan.com/amf2026.