Frequently Asked Questions

The Delhi Arts & Health Festival (DAHF) is a city-wide cultural initiative exploring the intersections of arts, health, wellbeing and community in Delhi. Taking place across multiple venues from 2–6 December 2026, DAHF brings together artists, healthcare practitioners, researchers, educators, policymakers, cultural organisations and the public through performances, workshops, exhibitions, conversations, research exchanges and public engagement. It is the first festival of its kind in India — built on the conviction that creative practice is not supplementary to health, but fundamental to it.

DAHF is designed to be open to everyone. The festival welcomes artists and creative practitioners of all disciplines, healthcare professionals and clinicians, educators and academics, researchers and policymakers, community organisations and cultural institutions, students, volunteers and members of the public. Many events will be free and open to all. Some specialist elements — symposia, research exchanges, professional workshops — will be aimed at particular audiences. Whatever your background or reason for coming, there is a place for you at DAHF.

DAHF will offer a mixture of free and ticketed experiences. A significant proportion of the programme — including exhibitions, public performances, community events and many workshops — will be free and open to all. Some specialist sessions, symposia, research exchanges and professional development workshops may require advance registration or carry a small fee. We are committed to keeping the festival as economically accessible as possible. Full ticketing and registration details will be published when the programme is announced. If cost is a barrier, please contact us — we will do our best to help.

Arts and health is a growing international field that explores how creative practice — across all art forms and disciplines — can contribute to physical health, mental wellbeing, social connection and community resilience. It encompasses everything from arts programmes in hospitals and care settings to community music-making, dance for older adults, writing for mental health, arts-based research and public art as civic care. The World Health Organization, UCL and Johns Hopkins are among the institutions that have documented the measurable impact of arts participation on health outcomes. DAHF is part of this global movement — bringing its questions, evidence and possibilities to Delhi for the first time.

There are four main pathways to participate in DAHF. Artists and creative facilitators can submit an expression of interest to propose workshops, performances, exhibitions, talks, installations or community projects. Volunteers can join the festival team across operations, programming, hospitality, communications, research, documentation and audience engagement. Organisations — including hospitals, universities, cultural institutions, NGOs, foundations and community groups — can explore formal partnership with the festival. Sponsors and funding partners can contribute to making the festival possible while associating their name with a bold and meaningful cultural initiative. Visit the Get Involved page to find the right pathway for you, or write to us directly at partnerships.dahf@gmail.com.

Accessibility is a core priority for DAHF — not an afterthought. We are designing the festival from the ground up to be welcoming to people of all abilities, backgrounds and circumstances. This includes physical accessibility across all venues, materials available in multiple formats, interpretation and translation support where needed, audio description and captioning for key events, and a strong commitment to free and low-cost programming so that economic barriers are minimised. We will publish full accessibility information for each venue and event as the programme is confirmed. If you have specific access requirements, questions or suggestions, please contact us directly — we want to hear from you.

Yes — partnerships are at the heart of how DAHF is built. We actively welcome organisations of all kinds: hospitals and healthcare trusts, universities and research centres, schools and colleges, galleries and museums, NGOs and charitable foundations, community groups, public institutions and corporate partners. Partnership with DAHF offers an opportunity to be part of a genuinely meaningful cultural initiative — connecting your organisation to a growing conversation around creativity, health and community in India and globally. Partnerships can take many forms, from co-presenting events to providing venues, research collaboration, communications support or financial contribution. Visit the Get Involved page or write to us at partnerships.dahf@gmail.com to begin a conversation.