Nayantara Singh

It’s a relief to shrug off a rather long and sluggish January. The sun’s coming out, the weather’s near-perfect, with cool mornings, bright afternoons, and evenings that are begging for bar crawls. And February may be the shortest month, but in Delhi this year, it's completely action-packed. The calendar’s stuffed to the brim with theatre, sport, music, culture, and ROMANCE (or did you forget about Valentine’s Day?), making it one of the most reliably busy months to be out and about. The big-ticket item this month is, of course, the T20 World Cup, with multiple matches in Delhi. The music scene’s alive and well too – The Lumineers, Armaan Malik, the India Jazz Project, the HT City Unwind (the GOAT Lucky Ali returns) and the Sufi Heritage Festival (featuring big draws Daler Mehndi and Sona Mohapatra) all in a single month. The Pride Parade and the Delhi Literature Festival are also big crowd pullers, along with the ongoing Bharat Rang Mahotsav, which kicked off in late January and features plenty of theatre productions through the month. We simply cannot forget the Surajkund Mela, which brings artisans from across and beyond India under one roof, selling some of the most unique things money can buy. You’ve also got the big V-Day bonanza starting mid-month, with loads of bars and restaurants hosting special events and offering hefty discounts, so make sure to catch those. But all in all, like we said, February’s weather is too good to be true – so don’t miss this chance to grab

The first week of February's action-packed: the T20 Cricket World Cup kicks off, a bunch of great festivals in town, including the India Jazz Project, HT City Unwind (Lucky Ali and Jasmine Sandlas are slated to perform!) and the fortnight-long Comedy Non-Stop in Noida.  A couple of great exhibitions are on too, whether it's the celebration of 100 years of Satish Gujral at the NGMA, or the ongoing Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters at the Humayun's Tomb museum. The India Art Fair's back in Delhi, and so is the intensely popular Surajkund Mela. India's biggest theatre festival, the Bharat Rang Mahotsav, launched late January, but the good news is that there are dozens of shows stacked up for almost the entire week of February. All in all, it's a busy week. Here's what to look out for. Editor's note: We auto-delete events from this list that've already happened to make sure you don't feel the fear of having missed out.   

February’s usually when the productivity panic starts to kick in. After all, it’s time for the post-January festive blues to come to an end. Never mind about the New Year resolutions that never made it past the 30-day trial run. Year after year, Mumbai runs on high-speed autopilot through January, what with Lollapalooza, but February is just as action-packed this year, and here’s everything worth checking out. It’s perhaps one of the best months for music: we have the Symphony Orchestra of India’s Spring 2026 season for western classical music lovers; John Mayer performing live; not one but TWO jazz festivals, among other really cool DJ sets, folk recitals, and of course, the Mahindra Blues Fest returning to Mumbai. Tickets are selling out faster than Labubus, but fear not if you don’t get ‘em – there’s plenty of other live music that Mumbai has on offer through the year. It’s also a big time for the artsy-fartsy. We’re kicking off the month with the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival from January 31 to February, followed by the annual All India Arts Exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery and exciting exhibits coming to NGMA, CSMVS and the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum.Theatre’s alive and kicking: a slew of shows are scheduled, from the Primetime Theatre Company to Spoken Fest 2026. Stand-up comedy shows through the month, of course, and how could I mention stand-up without talking about the BIG TICKET ITEM! Gianmarco Soresi’s touring India for the first time! Another big event to top it all of

Mumbaikars, I know it's been a week of nursing hangovers post the absolute banger that was Lollapalooza this year. But it's time to shake off the blues and dive straight into February (the year really begins now, doesn't it) to discover all that's happening. Most importantly, the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival's kicking off, and so is the 35-year celebration organised by the PrimeTime Theatre Company. Some fun stuff in the mix, too – take Yung Singh's gig for example. The UK-based DJ's the hot new thing and has become a defining international presence of late. Don't sleep on this show! And Zakir Khan, of course, is back with his Papa Yaar tour – it's sold out in Mumbai but there's still tickets available for Nashik, if you don't mind the long drive. This guide's got you covered for this week.   Editor's note: We auto-delete events from this list that've already happened to make sure you don't feel the fear of having missed out. 

There's no way to travel all of Asia in one lifetime, but you can damn well bet that we're going to try. From bustling city destinations to wild island paradises, there's so much on the regional travel menu that we'd gladly spend our annual leave on in 2026 – and if you're having a hard time choosing, then you're in the right place. We talked to our Time Out editors and travel contributors in Asia to suss out what's on their radar for the coming year. These destinations are emerging hotspots: long overlooked or previously hard to reach, but now on the map for travellers seeking alternatives to well-trodden destinations like Bali, Tokyo, and Bangkok. Many on the list have become better-connected, too – all the more reason to buy that plane ticket in 2026. And it goes without saying: they all have spectacular natural attractions, rich culture, and fantastic dining scenes to satisfy the pickiest of travellers. Here's Time Out's list of the best places to visit in Asia in 2026.  Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Asia newsletter for the best travel inspiration straight to your inbox. READ MORE: The most spectacular places to visit in Asia and The most gorgeous islands in Asia 

My first thought upon entering Barbet & Pals is how many drinks it's going to take for me to be able to laugh at the same pitch as the other folks guffawing inside. That, and the mean-ish rumination on how many people know that a barbet's a kind of bird – though the decor, has, of course, made it glaringly obvious, from the birds flying off the servers' lapels to the little winged stirrers clattering about inside highball glasses. Barbet is, mercifully, not a speakeasy. By that, I mean it isn't faux-hidden behind a pair of nondescript doors that can only be reached via a great big shady lift. No, Barbet's right there, flatly proud, placed in the inner lip of Greater Kailash II's M Block Market, which is currently in the throes of an intense, competitive popularity.The unselfconscious location's a relief, really, and a bit of a surprise – given that inside, Barbet feels much more like a speakeasy than any of the other bars that have mushroomed with greasy ease across south Delhi. It's small, but not too small (38 seats). Dimly lit, but not in the infuriating way that makes you want to pull out your phone torch to squint at the menu. The speaker spouts 80s oldies, but not all of them are bangers. It's good to know there's yet some appreciation for deep cuts in this city. When they launched, publications went wild waxing lyrical about the pahadi inspiration behind the menu. I read it all, and I'd come here to sample it, but to tell you god's honest truth, the drink that's caught