Music, workshops & stalls add sheen to queer-friendly flea market in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The annual queer-friendly flea market “Maya Bazaar” took place in Jayamahal on Saturday and Sunday. 

The social networking event caters to gender and sexual minority organisations and NGOs to spread awareness and showcase their work. 

The event, which took place from 10 am to 10 pm, had over 160 stalls that sold various things from clothes, pottery, pickles and more. 

The event also hosted multiple workshops on Tie&Die, Flow, Quilt Making and had live music and performances lighting up the day.

Notable performances on Sunday were by the dance crews such as the “Lehengays”, “wild wild women” and a tribal fusion belly dance. 

Veena Kulkarni, co-founder, Maya Bazaar, noted that this year’s edition had 20% more online sales of tickets.

“This year’s edition of Maya Bazaar was a success. A lot of the stalls sold out on their stock on Saturday and had to restock on Sunday.” 

She went on to add that Maya bazaar was started to create a safe space for all. “Anyone who attends this event can sit and look at the people around them, and feel safe.” 

The organisations that were part of the event included the LGBTQIA wing of the All India Professionals’ Congress, the Solidarity Foundation, which supports sex workers and gender/sexual minorities in South India, trans rights organisation Jeeva, the All Inclusive Foundation, which works with neurodivergent children, and the India Deaf Queer, which interpreted all the performances in International Sign Language (ISL).