Things to do in Chandigarh in the evening

Sukhna Lake is the city's evening walk: the promenade runs along the top of the dam, with the Shivalik hills behind the water, and sunset is a good time to come. The lake is open daily from 5:00 to 21:00 and entry is free; pedal boats, shikaras and a solar cruise are sold at the counter, and portrait artists work along the promenade. The Garden of Silence at the far end, with its seated Buddha, stays open until about 9 pm.

Outside the city, Fateh Burj at Chappar Chiri in Mohali, roughly 15–20 km away, is a 328-ft victory tower for the Sikh victory of 1710; about 120 steps lead to a viewing level over the Punjab plain, and the tower is lit after dusk, so late afternoon works best. The Pinjore Gardens, a 17th-century Mughal garden of seven terraces about 22 km out on the Shimla highway, are lit up in the evenings.

The Sector 17 plaza, the pedestrian centre of Le Corbusier's grid, is a popular evening walk, with fountains, ice cream and shops.

Evening is also market time. Sadar Bazaar in Sector 19 sells cloth by the metre, phulkari and bangles. Krishna Market in Sector 41 is a cart-stall market where local families shop, with snack stalls. Patel Market by Panjab University gets crowded from late afternoon, when classes end. More on the markets page.

The Japanese Garden in Sector 31A, with pagodas, ponds and a painted underground passage, keeps its gates open until about 9 pm and costs nothing. When the weather is too hot or wet to be outside, Nexus Elante Mall has a large cinema and a food court.

Tagore Theatre in Sector 18, the city's main stage since 1962, hosts Punjabi and Hindi drama, classical music, dance and theatre festivals run by the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi. Evening shows usually start from 18:30, and many akademi programmes are free; most drama is in Hindi or Punjabi, while music and dance need no translation. Check the programme a few days ahead.

The Government Museum and Art Gallery in Sector 10 runs a sound-and-light show on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 19:30.

At the ISKCON Sri Sri Radha Madhav Temple in Sector 36B the time to come is the evening aarti, the offering of lamps, when the prayer hall fills with kirtan, call-and-response singing anyone can join. Entry is free; shoes come off at the door.

The list below also includes bars and pubs, some with live music. Among them are Peddlers, a pub in a Sector 35 basement, The Back Room, a cocktail bar in Sector 34, and Lava Bar inside the Taj hotel in Sector 17. Programmes and hours change, so check with the venue. More detail is on the nightlife page.

For a late snack, Amritsari Kulcha Hub in Sector 9 makes chur-chur kulcha (crushed stuffed bread with chickpeas) to order, and Giani's ice-cream parlours serve kulfi-faluda; check current hours before going late. For more, see street food.