Prabhu Deva opens Mysuru's Yuva Dasara: five nights of music till Oct 17
Representative image: dotigabrielf / Pixabay
Prabhu Deva opened Yuva Dasara at Uttanahalli, Mysuru, on 13 October 2026; the youth music festival runs five nights to October 17.
What Happened
Yuva Dasara, the youth music festival of the Mysuru Dasara celebrations, opened on the evening of Tuesday, 13 October 2026, at open grounds near the Jwalamukhi Tripura Sundari Temple in Uttanahalli, on Mysuru's Outer Ring Road. Actor, choreographer and film director Prabhu Deva, who was born in Mysuru, inaugurated the five-day programme, and music director B. Ajaneesh Loknath and his troupe headlined the opening night. The festival runs until Saturday, 17 October.
Key Facts
- Yuva Dasara runs for five evenings, from 13 to 17 October 2026, at Uttanahalli on Mysuru's Outer Ring Road.
- Prabhu Deva opened the event on 13 October; Mysuru District Minister Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah was named as chief guest for the opening programme.
- Each evening, local and selected artists perform from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm, followed by a headline concert from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm.
- Ajaneesh Loknath played the first night, and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are listed for 14 October.
- Sid Sriram, Jasmine Sandlas and a Kannada film music night are also on the line-up, though published schedules differ on their dates.
- Parking has been arranged for about 2,000 vehicles near the road to Uttanahalli village, with space for nearly 5,000 more along both sides of the Ring Road.
- The wider Mysuru Dasara festival runs from 11 to 21 October.
Why It Matters
Mysuru Dasara is better known for its palace lights, its royal rituals and the Jamboo Savari elephant procession that closes the festival. Yuva Dasara is the part of the programme built for young people. It adds five evenings of live concerts to a festival otherwise centred on ritual and royal tradition.
The choice of Prabhu Deva to open the festival also has local meaning. He is one of India's best-known dancers and choreographers and was born in Mysuru, so organisers presented his visit as a homecoming. Before the opening he visited the Suttur Math in Mysuru with his mother, Mahadevamma.
The line-up mixes Kannada film music with national names. Ajaneesh Loknath is a leading Kannada film composer, while Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Sid Sriram draw crowds across languages. The mix gives both Kannada film fans and listeners of Hindi and Tamil film music a reason to attend.
Large open-air concerts bring safety and traffic questions. Police said the crowds would be watched with drones and CCTV cameras, and plans published before the event put the police deployment at more than 1,500 personnel. Work on a grade separator at the Outer Ring Road and Devalapura Road junction near Hosahundi was paused about two weeks ago so that it would not block festival traffic.
| Date | Headline act (as listed by organisers' schedules) |
|---|---|
| 13 October | B. Ajaneesh Loknath and troupe |
| 14 October | Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy |
| 15 to 17 October | Sid Sriram, Jasmine Sandlas and a Kannada film music night (order differs between published lists) |
Impact
Short-term: Large crowds of young people are likely at Uttanahalli each evening until 17 October, with heavier traffic on the Outer Ring Road between late afternoon and late night.
Long-term: Yuva Dasara keeps growing as a showcase for Kannada and Indian music, giving the old festival a strong pull for a younger audience and for visitors who come for concerts as much as for heritage.
Who is affected: Students and young music fans in Mysuru and nearby districts, visitors from Bengaluru, local artists who get the early-evening slots, and residents and commuters around the Outer Ring Road.
Key Takeaway
Mysuru's youth music festival opened on 13 October with Prabhu Deva and Ajaneesh Loknath, and runs five nights to 17 October at Uttanahalli.
Questions and Answers
When and where is Yuva Dasara 2026?
It runs from 13 to 17 October 2026 at open grounds near the Jwalamukhi Tripura Sundari Temple in Uttanahalli, on Mysuru's Outer Ring Road.
Who opened Yuva Dasara this year?
Actor, choreographer and director Prabhu Deva, who was born in Mysuru, inaugurated the festival on 13 October, with music director Ajaneesh Loknath performing on the opening night.
What time do the concerts start?
Local and selected artists play from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm each evening, and the main concert runs from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm.
Which artists are still to perform?
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are listed for 14 October, and Sid Sriram, Jasmine Sandlas and a Kannada film music night fill the remaining evenings, though schedules differ on the exact dates, so check the organisers' latest list before going.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
Sourced and fact-checked by the Peepals Global Editorial Team
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Reported, fact-checked and published by the Peepals Global Editorial Team.
