Performers at the first Love Festival in London
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
They say, do not find love, let it find you. Relationship coach Sunny Sekhon is trying to make this easier for singles with his Love Festival. After a successful stint in London last month, where 700 singles convened to meet their match (equal number of men and women), the event now comes to Mumbai next weekend, and then makes its way to New York in April. The Indian edition, called the Mumbai Love Festival, aims to bring together singles from the city and around the country. “We’ve even got participants flying in from Chennai and Kolkata,” says Sunny over a call from London, where he lives.
Sunny will be in India for the event at Praia in Worli, Mumbai. The venue will have an all-white decor to keep up with the white party theme. White signifies purity and love is pure, believes Sunny, who has been a relationship coach for eight years. The event will have separate areas for performances, DJs, a manifestation corner, and talks. “While the London edition had speed dating, the one in Mumbai will feature matchmaking based on human needs psychology,” says Sunny. For this, the participants need to fill up a form and answer specific questions that will help him and his team gauge their personality. “A lot of effort goes in to connect people at the right level,” he adds.
Sunny Sekhon
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
He says that the idea for a Love Festival came to him after his clients kept complaining about how dating apps did not work. “I decided to set up a dating event primarily for my clients and see how they interact and handle the situation,” he says. He arranged for 100 singles to meet in London in 2021. This created a buzz and people wanted more such events so the next one had 200 singles. “It was successful as people started getting into relationships. I noticed as the event progressed, they were becoming more confident and more open,” he adds. But Sunny also admits that there are people who have been attending these events and are yet to find a partner. “These are mostly people who are shy and stand in a corner and don’t interact at all. We try and encourage them and help them find a partner,” he says.
Sunny also has a list of happy stories. He recalls a woman once walked up to him and said she met her partner at his event. “This was a woman who was against dating apps or meeting people through her family. But she came for this event and the person she met was actually someone who lived round the corner from her and saw her driving past everyday but never really got to go up and speak to her. And now they’ve been in a relationship for months,” he says.
Snapshot from the previous edition of Love Fest in London
While a number of attendees are Sunny’s clients who consult with him for their relationships, the event is open to all, primarily those in the 23 to 42 age group. For people new to this concept of love festivals, Sunny has some advice: “Go there to give, not take: give a good compliment to someone, give a good conversation. Remember, some people might be nervous too. Just enjoy the event. Put the past behind you and come in there fresh and open to love.”
Mumbai Love Festival is on March 11 at Praia, Worli. 4.30 pm onwards. For tickets log on to eventbee.com. The last date for registering is March 9
