Madras Day & Madras Week in Chennai

Madras Day is celebrated every year on 22 August. It marks the date in 1639 when East India Company agents Francis Day and Andrew Cogan obtained the strip of land on which Fort St. George was built, the beginning of the city that became Madras and then Chennai. In 2027 it falls on a Sunday and marks the city's 388th year. The celebration was started in 2004 by a small group that included the journalists Vincent D'Souza and Sashi Nair and the historian S. Muthiah, and it has no central organiser or budget. Instead, anyone can host an event, and they do: Madras Week, which in practice stretches across most of August, brings heritage walks through George Town, Mylapore, Triplicane and Royapuram, talks at libraries and clubs, photo and art exhibitions, film screenings, school and college quizzes, food trails, bicycle rides and T-shirt and poster contests. Most events are free or cost very little, and many need advance registration because walk groups are kept small. The 2027 programme had not been published when this page was last updated; listings usually appear from late July. This page collects Madras Day and Madras Week walks, talks, exhibitions and tours as they are announced.