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Chennai Music Season: Carnatic concerts from morning to night in Margazhi
Filter coffee between concerts and ragas in the halls from morning to night
Every December the sabhas (music societies) of Chennai fill their halls with Carnatic music from morning to night. The core is the Music Academy's annual concerts and conference: 15 December 2026 – 1 January 2027. Around it dozens of sabhas run their own programmes from late November into January, most densely in the Tamil month of Margazhi. Most concerts before 4 pm are free; the evening concerts by senior artists are ticketed.
The Music Academy posts its conference dates months ahead; the concert lists of the sabhas and ticket sales follow in October and November.
The legend
In 1927, alongside the session of the Indian National Congress, Madras hosts the All India Music Conference.
The conference resolves to found a Music Academy, and the first music festival is held that same December.
From 1928 the academy holds concerts and a conference on Carnatic music every December, and December becomes the city's music month.
Following the academy's lead, many sabhas hold concerts: in the 2004/2005 season some 600 artists gave over 1,200 performances.
And so it goes on: in Margazhi the sabha halls fill with Carnatic music morning, afternoon and evening.
Meaning
Margazhi
In the Tamil month of Margazhi, which falls in December and January, temples recite Andal's Tiruppavai each morning, and women draw kolams early in the day.
January
Since 2007 the Music Academy has followed the music season with a dance festival, so by the first week of January its stage belongs to dance.
Customs
Lec-dems
Besides concerts, the season has lecture demonstrations, known as lec-dems, and harikathas.
Concert order
A concert opens with a varnam, then come kritis, each prefaced by the alapana, an unfolding of the raga. It ends with padams and javalis.
The halls
A sabha's main hall seats about 300 on average, a mini hall no more than 75: most of the season's concerts are intimate.
Canteens
Most sabhas run canteens in the season so listeners can eat between concerts, and many serve a wedding-style feast on a banana leaf.
What people eat
Filter coffee
freshly brewed, in a sabha canteen between concerts
Idli
steamed rice cakes; some canteens offer 13 kinds
Words of the festival
சபா
sabha
a music society that stages concerts, gives titles and usually owns a hall
இராகம்
raga
literally "colouring": a melodic framework for improvisation
கிருதி
kriti
the composed song at the core of a concert: pallavi, anupallavi, charanam
தனி ஆவர்த்தனம்
tani avartanam
the percussion solo, a set time given to the accompanists; "tani" for short
True or myth
❌ Myth. Most sabhas hold free morning and afternoon concerts; tickets are usually needed only from about 4 pm.
❌ Myth. It used to mean a hall where the king gave audience and dealt with matters of state.
✅ True. Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, the Trinity of Carnatic music, were all born in Thiruvarur in the 18th century.
Where to celebrate
Chennai
Worth the trip
From mid-December into January dozens of Chennai's sabhas run concerts from morning to night: free daytime slots, ticketed evening concerts by senior artists, lecture-demonstrations and busy canteens.
How a day of the season works
The Music Academy on TTK Road sets the rhythm, and its usual timetable is a good model for the rest; the exact one is published each season. The day usually starts with the conference: lecture-demonstrations (lec-dems) from 08:00 to 10:00 in the Kasturi Srinivasan Hall. Then come three concerts, usually at 09:00, 11:45 and 13:30, all non-ticketed, and two ticketed evening concerts, usually at 16:00 and 18:45, with one ticket valid for both.
Many other sabhas follow the same pattern: free morning and afternoon concerts, tickets usually from about 4 pm. With dozens of sabhas, most with one or two halls, a listener can move between venues all day, with a canteen meal in between. Most halls are small, about 300 seats in a main hall and up to 75 in a mini hall, so the music is heard close up.
The Academy also gives its own titles, among them the Sangita Kalanidhi, and by the first week of January its stage turns to its dance festival.
The main venues
Each sabha publishes its own programme and runs its own canteen. These are among the largest.
The Music Academy, TTK Road
The season's main stage, with the conference in the Kasturi Srinivasan Hall. Its concerts and conference set the season's core dates.
Narada Gana Sabha, Alwarpet
Also on TTK Road, a short walk from the Academy.
Mylapore: Mylapore Fine Arts Club and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Two of the big sabhas in Mylapore, close to Alwarpet and TTK Road.
T Nagar and around
Krishna Gana Sabha in T Nagar; Brahma Gana Sabha, the Indian Fine Arts Society, Kartik Fine Arts and Rasika Ranjani Sabha are other prominent names of the season.
Kalakshetra Foundation, Tiruvanmiyur
Not a sabha but an arts institution with its own annual art festival of dance-dramas and music in late December.
Tickets, rooms and timing
The free daytime concerts need nothing but turning up. The evenings and the rooms need planning.
- Watch the announcements
The Music Academy posts its conference dates months ahead; the sabhas' concert lists and ticket sales follow in October and November.
- Buy evening tickets early
At the Music Academy, season tickets are usually sold online until about 10 December, and single-day tickets go on sale two days before each concert. Season tickets to the major sabhas sell out in the first week of December.
- Stay walkable
Mylapore, Alwarpet or T Nagar: the sabhas are walkable from each other, and Chennai traffic will otherwise eat the day. Rooms there go early for the second half of December, so book about six weeks ahead.
- Trains and length of stay
Book trains as soon as the 60-day reservation window opens: Christmas and New Year traffic into Chennai is heavy. Three nights give a taste; a week covers the core of the season, the last ten days of December being the busiest.
Around the season
Margazhi is also a temple month: temples recite Andal's Tiruppavai each morning, and kolams are drawn at doorsteps early in the day. Two festivals pair well with a December stay:
- Mamallapuram Dance Festival, on the coast south of Chennai
- Thyagaraja Aradhana in Thiruvaiyaru, the music festival for the composer Tyagaraja
FAQ
When is the Chennai Music Season?
The Music Academy's concerts and conference: 15 December 2026 – 1 January 2027. The wider season of sabha concerts runs from late November into January, densest in the second half of December.
Are the concerts free?
Most concerts before 4 pm are free. At the Music Academy the concerts usually held at 09:00, 11:45 and 13:30 are non-ticketed; the evening concerts, usually at 16:00 and 18:45, are ticketed, one ticket covering both.
Why is the Music Academy in Chennai so important?
It grew out of the All India Music Conference held in Madras in 1927 and has held its December concerts and conference since 1928. Other sabhas followed its lead, which is how December became the city's music month.
How do I buy Music Academy tickets?
Usually online on the Academy's site: season tickets until about 10 December, single-day tickets from two days before each concert. A QR ticket can be exchanged for a printed one at the Academy.
Where should I stay for the music season?
Mylapore, Alwarpet or T Nagar, where the main sabhas are within walking distance. Book about six weeks ahead for the second half of December.
How big is the Chennai Music Season?
In the 2004/2005 season about 600 artists gave more than 1,200 performances, and it is often described as one of the world's largest cultural events.
Sources (4)
Facts checked: 21 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.