Last Sunday I went to the Sunday Soul Sante, held here in Bangalore. For those of you who don’t know what that is, its basically a flea market filled with fun, kitschy things, and there’s food as well as live music. This was my first time going to Soul Santé, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Needless to say I was blown away by the riot of colors, the people and just the whole ambience of the place!
The most creative colorful wind chimes you have ever seen!
All sorts of beaded handmade bags, belts, headbands and dream catchers.
Glow in the dark splatter paintings.
Photo by Nirup Divakaran.
Photo by Nirup Divakaran
Photo by Nirup Divakaran
Hand crafted dreamcatchers
Photo by Nirup Divakaran
I started out with an idea of spending a couple of hours browsing though the stalls, but there was honestly so much to see that I was there basically the whole day. Whenever walking in the bright sun got too much, we took breaks and sat down to listen to the live bands playing, and enjoyed a glass of cold beer! Heaven 🙂
Custom made terrariums
Colorful digitally printed cushions, canvases, posters.
Printed T-shirts, posters, banners
Handmade jewelry
Custom made figurines and toys
Very pretty and colorful magnets, compacts and mirrors
Custom made tiny replicas! They looked so life like!
Hand made pottery
Beautiful fresh flowers and plants
Crop tops
Colorful pots for plants and other knick knacks
Ashtrays, wall clocks and trays made from actual flattened bottles!
A live band performing
Even just people watching was fun. There were girls in flower headbands, flowy dresses and the whole atmosphere had a very “music festival” vibe to it. I couldn’t get enough of all the amazing colorful outfits everyone was wearing. Here’s a great article capturing some of the style of the people there. Thanks Sahana for finding it 🙂 What surprised me the most was the sheer size of the event. This map here (which was conveniently placed right at the entrance) will give you an idea of how big the event actually was. There were more than 200 stalls!
A very detailed map of the area. Over 200 stalls!
There were local artists displaying their paintings, handmade jewelry, flowers, home décor items, candles and even vintage furniture! There were live bands performing throughout the day, fashion shows, and I believe a dance troupe took the stage at one point during the day, though I missed that.
Handmade candles
Vintage frames and furniture
This was a just a display piece. Though the stall owner got quite a few offers to buy the headpiece!
One whole section was dedicated to food, and it was not disappointing. There was Goan food, barbecues, burgers, momos and even a salad bar! I had the pulled pork sub from The Roadkill stall, and a lemon iced tea for lunch and it was great! In addition, there was chilled beer being served at impromptu bars set up throughout the place. What more could you ask for?
Assorted desserts. I loved the red velvet cupcakes!
Grilled chicken!
Lanterns being released at night.
The whole point of the Santé is to give an opportunity to local artisans to display and sell their creations. Some of the things on display were so creative and pretty, that I wanted to buy it all! I initially just wanted a dream catcher for my bedroom, but I ended up with a whole lot more. I’ll be doing a post with what I bought soon. Till then, heres a peek at one of the items I got – this amazing head piece! I immediately decided to wear it of course 🙂 
In all, I was very impressed with how the event was organized. There was enough space for everyone to walk around and see all the beautiful things displayed. The stage/entertainment area was bang in the center so was easy to find when you wanted to sit down. At no point did it feel like it was overcrowded, and everyone was so well dressed and colorful that it was a joy just to people watch!
The only downside I would say was that some of the stuff was definitely priced higher than they usually are in their online or their regular stores. But I guess that is the norm for these kinds of events? I’m not sure. Though there were also some people who had come from different cities just to sell their stuff, and these flea markets are the only places they sell their wares at! It was a really fun experience I have to say. A must see if you are ever in Bangalore when one of these is taking place. I loved it and I cant wait to go back to the next one! I hope you enjoyed all the pretty pictures 🙂
– Satarupa
So colorful & nice pictures Satarupa along with nice description. A shopaholic like me wish to visit there soon..:) Where in Bangalore exactly held it & when??
Thanks! 🙂 It was held on the 12th of October at the Embassy International Riding School grounds. I’ll be sure alert you on our FB page next time it happens!
Great (y)
In love with markets like these! They are so fun and bring together people with artists on face to face level 🙂 PS – love your headpiece, I would totally wear it as well 🙂
So true Brigita. Its more than shopping when its markets like this – its a good, fun day out! PS: Btw, just checked out your blog and those cream brûlée cupcakes and I am super tempted! Pictures are lovely!
I think my sister’s band played at Soul Santhe once. But the last time I read something about, it wasn’t a rave, it was more of a “why is this so hyped up” wail. I loved the pictures and I think it something people should experience atleast once