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A cross-continental celebration
This fall, Miami, Florida, and Mumbai, India will celebrate two of the world’s most architecturally rich cities with Art Deco Alive! (ADA!), a new cross-continental festival marking the 100th anniversary of the Art Deco movement.
The ambitious calendar of cultural programming will bridge continents and time zones to connect two iconic coastal cities – each home to the world’s largest collections of Art Deco clusters – through an immersive celebration of design, heritage, and contemporary creative expression.
Art Deco Alive! was founded by Smiti Kanodia, alongside co-founders Salma Merchant Rahmathulla and Gayatri Hingorani Dewan. The festival is being organized in collaboration with the Miami Design Preservation League, Art Deco Mumbai Trust, The Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, and The Wolfsonian–FIU.
The Art Deco movement
In the early 20th century, both Miami and Mumbai – then Bombay – underwent rapid urban growth that paralleled the global rise of the Art Deco movement. In Miami, a hurricane in 1926 sparked a wave of reconstruction, ushering in the pastel-hued, nautically influenced Tropical Deco style that would come to define South Beach.
Meanwhile, in Mumbai, Deco took root in the 1930s as Indian architects blended international modernist influences with local motifs and materials, resulting in a unique, streamlined aesthetic visible in the city’s iconic neighborhoods of Marine Drive, Churchgate, and Shivaji Park.
Today, both Miami Beach and Mumbai house some of the largest and best-preserved Deco districts in the world, each shaped by colonial histories, tropical climate, and cosmopolitan aspirations.
“Mumbai and Miami, two cities across continents on opposite sides of the world, are united by their dynamic spirit, architectural heritage, and cultural confluences. After living in both cities, we noticed that as they undergo gentrification and evolve, the skylines are becoming shinier, marked by new high-rises, infrastructure projects, and urban development. What we want to celebrate is the heritage as a living, breathing entity, not just static history, to inspire people to care for it, advocate its preservation, and pass on the awareness to future generations,” said Mumbai-based Smiti Kanodia, Founder, Art Deco Alive!
A tribute to cultural reinvention
Art Deco Alive! unites the vibrant cities of Miami and Mumbai through their shared architectural legacy. Rooted in creative exchange and community engagement, this centennial initiative honors the rich culture and shared influence of Deco design. From a twin-city museum exhibition to guided heritage walks, retail pop-ups, and design-inspired symposia, Art Deco Alive! brings together voices from across the Indo-Latin world to celebrate a design movement with a living, evolving language that fosters dialogue around preservation, history, style, cultural identity, and collaboration.
By weaving together architecture, culture, and community, the initiative invites audiences in both Mumbai and Miami to rediscover the spaces that hold meaning, celebrate creative legacies, and envision a future where preservation and progress go hand in hand. In reanimating Deco’s spirit for a new era, Art Deco Alive! becomes a testament to the power of cultural exchange—proof that great design transcends borders, and that heritage, when kept alive, can continue to inspire for generations to come.
“Art Deco Alive! is more than a tribute to the past,” said co-founder Salma Merchant Rahmathulla. “It’s a celebration of cultural kinship and creative reinvention, linking Miami and Mumbai through architecture, memory, and style.”
Programming Highlights
MIAMI | October 8–12, 2025
- Twin-City Centenary Museum Exhibition at the Art Deco Museum, in collaboration with the Art Deco Mumbai Trust and Miami Design Preservation League, spotlighting pioneering architects, conservationists, women trailblazers on both continents, Parisian roots, and Deco expressions across Miami and Mumbai.
- 1920s Rewind Cocktail Party at The Wolfsonian–FIU, bringing together architects, artists, tastemakers, CIPs and curators to kick off the festival in Deco style.
- Heritage Tours and Family Scavenger Hunts through the famed South Beach Deco District.
- Jewelry Edit Cocktail at The Webster, celebrating Deco-inspired design by Indian and Latin designers.
- Art Deco Symposium featuring talks on architectural conservation, urban revival, and cross-cultural design histories and identity.
MUMBAI | November 6–25, 2025
- Twin-City Centenary Museum Exhibit at Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, spotlighting Mumbai and Miami’s pioneering Deco architects and conservationists, with rarely seen pieces sourced from private collections in India.
- Art Deco Symposium brings together voices from architecture, academia, the arts and conservation for illustrated lectures that explore the history and future of the movement.
- Deco Walks through the city’s UNESCO-recognized neighborhoods and suburban residential pockets, uncovering hidden design gems.
- Deco Talks & Film Screenings, exploring Deco’s influence on Indian cinema, jewelry, music and visual culture.
- Retail Collaborations with Indian designers and brands inspired by the Deco aesthetic.
- Churchgate Street Rewind, an open-air block party evoking the reverie of 1950s Bombay with music, throwback menus and nostalgic fare.
- Jazz Soirée, transforming an iconic address of the 1930s into an immersive celebration defined by live music, non-stop dancing and the cocktail craze.
“Having grown up in Mumbai and now living in Miami, I feel that Miami’s Art Deco identity seems a lot more celebratory and vibrant. It’s something you can pause and truly enjoy as part of the city’s personality. In contrast, Mumbai’s Deco is woven into the city’s hustle and bustle, so it feels like more of a hidden treasure—something that demands a bit more attention to be fully appreciated,” said Gayatri Hingorani Dewan, co-founder.
For more information about Art Deco Alive!, please visit https://www.artdecoalive.org/ and follow the collective on Instagram.