The Experience Edit has announced the launch of The Great Indian Feast Trail (GIFT), India’s first large-format immersive culinary and cultural festival. The inaugural edition will take place at Jio World Garden, Mumbai, from 27–29 November 2026.
Announced on India’s Independence Day, GIFT aims to celebrate the country’s diverse culinary traditions, regional identities, communities, landscapes and cultural heritage through an immersive festival experience.
The three-day festival will feature 13 immersive trails, each inspired by different communities, culinary traditions and cultural landscapes. Visitors will be able to explore experiences ranging from the Himalayan Foraging Belt and Sacred Ganges Civilisations to coastal communities, forests, deserts, Partition kitchens and India’s vibrant street-food cultures.
GIFT will bring together more than 100 curated kitchens and over 400 signature dishes, with each offering sourced and curated to represent the authenticity of its region. Home cooks, regional chefs, culinary artisans and cultural performers will come together through food, music, dance, heritage storytelling and other immersive experiences.
The festival will also highlight lesser-known culinary traditions, indigenous ingredients and community practices, offering audiences an opportunity to discover the depth of India’s living food heritage.
Sapangeet Rajwant, Co-founder, The Experience Edit, said, “We chose to announce GIFT on Independence Day because that is exactly what this festival is, a tribute. India’s culinary heritage is one of the richest and most diverse in the world, yet it has never had a single platform big enough to bring it all together. GIFT is a living celebration of a thousand kitchens and a thousand stories, built to be tasted, explored and remembered. We’re not just building a festival; we’re building the stage India’s food has always deserved—and Mumbai is only where it begins.”
A key attraction will be the Great Indian Chef Collective, bringing renowned chefs and master chefs together through collaborations, conversations and live culinary showcases focused on the future of Indian cuisine.
Riyaz Sayed, Co-founder, The Experience Edit, said, “With GIFT, our ambition is to create that lens for India, bringing its extraordinary culinary and cultural plurality into one powerful, contemporary experience. Rooted in India and conceived for the world, we hope GIFT becomes a cultural institution that grows in relevance, scale and legacy.”
Khushbu Vaid, Co-founder, The Experience Edit, said, “India doesn’t lack culinary diversity; it lacks a singular platform powerful enough to bring its extraordinary depth of culinary expression, culture and community together as one immersive experience. Through 13 distinct trails, we want audiences to go beyond tasting India to discovering the people, landscapes, rituals and stories that shape what we eat, experiencing an India they know, and an India they may never have encountered before.”
The inaugural Mumbai edition is expected to welcome more than 50,000 visitors. Following its debut, GIFT is planned to expand to other destinations across India and internationally. The Experience Edit will announce further details on participating chefs,
