Indoor Things to Do in Chennai

When Chennai's weather turns against you, the events below are indoor picks, refreshed daily. Two seasons push plans inside. From April to June, afternoon heat and humidity make anything outdoors a struggle before sunset. From October to December the north-east monsoon brings most of the city's annual rain, often in intense spells that flood roads and cancel open-air events. Fortunately Chennai's strongest suit is indoors. Classical music and dance run year-round in air-conditioned halls: the Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha, Vani Mahal, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Theatre and stand-up fill the Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall, the Museum Theatre and small rooms such as Medai in Alwarpet. For daytime, there are the Government Museum in Egmore, exhibitions at the Lalit Kala Akademi and the galleries of the Alliance Française and Goethe-Institut, the Birla Planetarium and the Anna Centenary Library, which is free and open from 8 am to 8 pm. Malls double as shelters, with IMAX screens at Phoenix Marketcity and Nexus Vijaya Mall. Workshops in pottery, art, baking and dance run in studios across Adyar, Alwarpet and Anna Nagar, and the Chennai Trade Centre's halls host expos most weekends.