An Indian Summer — Flagship Arts & Cultural Festival
About this Project
An Indian Summer is Inspirate’s flagship festival and one of the UK’s most significant celebrations of contemporary South Asian arts and culture. Now in its 15th year, the festival takes place across Leicester city centre each July — transforming Jubilee Square, Cathedral Gardens, Leicester Cathedral, the Guildhall, Attenborough Arts Centre, Phoenix Cinema and St Martins Square into a vibrant, multidisciplinary cultural destination.
The festival nurtures and platforms the breadth and intersectionality of contemporary South Asian arts, celebrating the shared culture between South Asia and the UK through bold artistic collaborations. The programme spans outdoor arts performance, live music, dance, family workshops, literature, talks, film, food and community events — with a strong emphasis on free, accessible public spaces.
An Indian Summer has become a national creative movement — a space for artists, audiences and communities to co-create new visions of diasporic culture that go beyond the borders of nation, genre and discipline. In 2026, the festival will welcome over 5,000 live attendees to Leicester.
Support the future of South Asian arts
Your support helps us to create opportunities, reach new audiences and ensure South Asian culture remains central to the UK’s cultural landscape.
Current Projects
Bridging Beats
Bridging Beats is Inspirate’s flagship music education programme for young people, funded by Youth Music. It provides high-quality skills training, creative development and performance opportunities for young people to see themselves as artists in some of Leicester’s most diverse communities.