Bengaluru Walk Fest 2024: 115 km of footpaths, 1,200 participants, endless discoveries wal

Nearly 1,200 residents of Bengaluru participated in the Bengaluru Walk Fest 2024, covering a total of 115 km of connected footpaths during a 13-day heritage walk/assessment, which concluded on December 15.

The curated, heritage-themed walks, led by Arun Pai, founder of BangaloreWALKS, took place on non-overlapping routes starting from 13 metro stations across the city, highlighting the rich history of each neighbourhood.

The event was supported by BLR Hubba, timed with hundreds of events throughout the city, and was backed by the BBMP, the traffic police, and metro officials.

For many participants, the walks evoked memories of their childhood. “Rain or shine, each morning felt like a fun trip with new connections and lots of learning. The walks sparked curiosity in passersby, and many joined us the next day,” said Sushma R Hegde, a techie and resident of Kanakapura Road.

Walkers on a footpath in Basavanagudi.

The walks attracted around 120 people on December 1, the first day of the fest, including Shanthinagar MLA NA Haris.

During each walk, Pai also taught a few Kannada letters to non-Kannada speakers, and many women wore sarees in celebration, particularly on the Jayanagar and Basavanagudi routes, Sushma added.

“The feedback I received was overwhelmingly positive — these walks helped people rediscover their love for Bengaluru. There was a sense of nostalgia, gratitude, and shared stories across generations. Many participants even uncovered new details about their own neighbourhoods,” Pai said.

Walkers near the Sri Circle Maramma Temple in Malleswaram.

Entrepreneur and Commercial Street resident Kokil Abhilash, who participated in all the walks, added, “I would summarise each day’s experiences and share them with other participants. I especially enjoyed learning about the history of different parts of the city, as a Bengalurean from the Cantonment area.”

Hebbal to Vidhana Soudha in 14 hours and 16 minutes

In a remarkable feat, ultrarunner Manoj Bhat completed a 100-km footpath-running streak on Sunday, covering most of the routes charted by the walkers. He ran from Hebbal to Vidhana Soudha in 14 hours and 16 minutes, stopping only for brief breaks.

“The run demonstrated that supportive infrastructure exists for running on footpaths, though some roads need improvement. Overall, I’d rate the experience 8/10,” Bhat said.