of BFR Sound SystemA reggae sound system dance, organised in the city in collaboration with Warehouse Mix. Alcohol free this year, funded directly by the community.
We are going to celebrate
We're celebrating ten years of the BFR Sound System with a big dance in the city, after ages. Those of you who made it to a community-centre dance or a street party know exactly what we mean. Pulling these off has never been easy: opaque bureaucracy, the maze of permissions, pollution, police. But when it came together, it was always worth it.
Funding has always been the hardest part, especially without sponsors. We've run on ticket and bar sales and hoped to break even. This year the dance is alcohol-free, and we want to build a different model, with your help. BFR was built by the people: in 2016 a crowdfunding campaign raised $20,000, and we built the system and bought the van.
Think of this as buying your ticket in advance, collected in one place. Those who can give more are encouraged to; it keeps the night accessible to people with less, and the more we raise, the more ambitious we can be. Alongside entry, there are limited-edition rewards: hoodies, tees, and records you can't get anywhere else.
pick yours
Anything above ₹599 will give you entry to the event, and if you want, you can check out the rewards below. We ask that you consider a payment according to your ability. We also have a policy of not turning anyone away for lack of funds. If you're broke but dying to come to the dance, get in touch.
Any amount
Give what you can. Above ₹599 includes entry.
1 item included
Your ticket to the 10-year anniversary dance. ₹100 of this goes to the MCD.
₹599
The final price. Service fees included.
1 item included
The BFR merch bundle: a BFR logo T-shirt or hoodie of your choice, plus a matchbox and stickers. We're setting up a live T-shirt printing station at the dance, and this entitles you to one free print of your choice. Apart from the BFR logo, you can also choose any of the 11 freedom-fighter designs and more.
₹2,000
The final price. Service fees included.
4 items included
An exclusive 16″ X 12″ poster, hand carved and hand pulled by Sushi. 40 numbered limited-edition linocut prints in archival ink mark the 10th anniversary. We're keeping ten for ourselves, so 30 are up for grabs — get yours before they run out. Prints come framed and mounted. We're so grateful for the contribution.
₹1,700
The final price. Service fees included.
2 items included
A hand-crafted Black Panther “All Power to the People” banner. Size 35″ X 25″. These are hand-crafted, so please allow 3 to 4 weeks. Only 5 available.
₹3,500
The final price. Service fees included.
2 items included
A one-on-one Afro dance workshop with ace dancer Afro-hana. Whoever pledges can bring one friend along. Afro-hana is a Delhi-based dancer and choreographer working primarily in Afro and Caribbean dance (Afrobeat, Afrofusion and dancehall), and has been part of Irie Dance Crew, an all-girl Afro-Caribbean group, since 2019.
@_hana_vel on Instagram₹2,000
The final price. Service fees included.
2 items included
A set of hand-crafted Ghost Dancers bunting. Pick any 5 designs from a choice of 11. Size 14″ X 14″. These are hand-crafted, so please allow 3 to 4 weeks. Only 5 sets available.
₹6,099
The final price. Service fees included.
2 items included
Recorded in 2011, this is the first serious India and Jamaica collaboration, featuring Jamaican superstar Sizzla and revolutionary singer and Dalit icon Bant Singh, plus a verse by Delhi Sultanate. It has been a staple at BFR Sound System sessions, and people have been asking for a release for over a decade. We're not planning to release it any time soon, but there are 3 copies cut on vinyl, with a pledge to never put it online. “For My People (Bhagat Singh Shaheed)”. Only 3 copies available.
₹10,000
The final price. Service fees included.
2 items included
On 18 October, 3pm to 10pm, we're setting up under a beautiful Pilkhan tree at Project Otenga in Shaheedi Park, the park where Bhagat Singh and his comrades once planned their resistance. We couldn't think of a better spot.
Project Otenga is a multimodal space that nurtures multidisciplinary collaboration. Part of it is a food design studio working in sensory branding: taste, edible scenography, and food as a tool for behavioural design. As a restaurant, they cook ingredient-forward, cuisine-agnostic, post-modern interpretations of Northeastern flavours, currently out of Ahmedabad and Delhi, with Otenga 3.0 at Shaheedi Park, a park where waste is repurposed through art and craftsmanship.
Otenga is the elephant apple: a fruit of five layers whose petals wrap around each other and harden into form. A beautiful metaphor for transformation, and fittingly, Otenga's identity is always transforming too.
For those of you who have never been to a session and this is your first time, I recommend you check out some videos and documentaries online. Roughly, this is what to expect: five hours of strictly vinyl reggae selection played by Delhi Sultanate over the custom-built and intense BFR Sound System. The system brings you a warm sound that vibrates your body and makes you want to dance.
We have a killer trombone player, Chie Nishikori from Japan, with us. Delhi Sultanate, Chie and other MCs sing and play over instrumental tracks from time to time between reggae songs, and there are a lot of exclusive dubplates that you cannot hear anywhere else in the world. Ras Man Man, the mad rastaman from Shillong, busts out melodica chops, and we also have a lot of MCs and guest singers passing through.
We're celebrating 10 years of the BFR Sound System with a reggae dance in the city. Expect around five hours of strictly vinyl reggae played by Delhi Sultanate over the custom-built BFR Sound System, with MCs, guest singers and exclusive dubplates you can't hear anywhere else.
18 October at Project Otenga in Shaheedi Park, next to ITO in Delhi. The event starts at 3pm, the sound system session kicks off proper at 5pm, and the dance shuts at 10pm sharp. We set up under the beautiful Pilkhan tree just outside the venue.
Yes, there's ample parking right outside the venue.
Yes, we've always had all age groups at the event. If you're bringing infants, carry something to protect their ears.
This year the dance is funded directly by you. Anything above ₹599 gets you entry. Give more if you can: it keeps the night accessible to people with less and lets us be more ambitious with the event. We won't turn anyone away for lack of funds, so if you're broke but dying to come, get in touch.
Yes. This year's dance is alcohol-free. We usually run on ticket and bar sales, and we want to see if we can build a different model, funded by the community instead.
Alongside entry there are limited-edition rewards: BFR merch (a tee or hoodie, a matchbox and stickers), a numbered hand-pulled lino print, a hand-crafted Black Panther banner, a Ghost Dancers bunting set, an unreleased Sizzla, Bant Singh and Delhi Sultanate dubplate on vinyl, and a one-on-one Afro dance workshop. Several are strictly limited.
Entry and merch are sorted at the venue. The hand-crafted items (the banner and bunting) are made to order, so please allow 3 to 4 weeks for delivery; the lino print is posted too. We collect your address at checkout. The dubplate and the workshop we arrange with you directly.
No. All contributions are non-refundable and go directly towards the stated goals. If a goal isn't met, funds move to the next achievable milestone.
Yes. Project Otenga cooks ingredient-forward Northeastern food and is planning some unique immersive food experiences for the night.
