The Lotus Palace Chettinad will host Kalai, the Chettinad Art and Architecture Festival, a four-day, three-night immersive celebration of the artistic legacy of Chettinad from three to six April 2026. The event has been organised by Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited (ASPHL) and will take place across restored heritage properties in Chettinad. It will be designed to offer guests a layered experience of place, structure and story that connects art, architecture and living traditions. The festival aims to present a confluence of global influences and local aesthetics.

Kalai has been curated in collaboration with Chettinad’s most iconic heritage properties, including The Bangala, Visalam, Chidambara Vilas, Chettinad Mansion and Saratha Vilas. The programme will offer expert-led architectural tours, talks by eminent conservation voices and immersive village walks. Activities will encompass visits to old Chettiar mansions, temple architecture and craft ateliers, enabling an intimate encounter with the region’s distinctive built heritage. Cultural evenings and traditional performances will complement the architecture and scholarly sessions.

Guests will be offered stays in restored heritage mansions with seamless centralised coordination by The Lotus Palace Chettinad. The festival schedule will include conversations with conservation architects, guided explorations of grand courtyards and ornate mansions, and complemented culinary experiences that reflect Chettinad traditions. The organisers intend the festival to serve not merely as a series of events but as a curated passage through time that foregrounds conservation, contextual design and the living practices that sustain heritage.

Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited (ASPHL) is a leading hospitality company that began operations in 1967 with the opening of its first property under the brand THE PARK. The company operates 39 hotels across India under five brands and maintains a portfolio in food and beverage and entertainment, including the retail brand Flurys with 105 outlets. ASPHL is listed on BSE Ltd and the National Stock Exchange of India.