Here are some of some frequently asked queries about the December Season and tips we have provided.You are welcome to ask us specfic queries which will be answered in this column:

The December Season of music and dance covers concerts hosted by diffrent sabhas (arts organisations) in many parts of the city of Chennai. The best concerts and festivals are generally held between the second week of December (from around 11th) to the first week of January. However some sabhas begin their fests as early as late November.
In January, most sabhas host exclusive dance fests which may go on till about January 20.
As and when details are released, this web site will post them.

The city does not run buses specially for the season. Autos are your best bet but the drivers often demand fancy fares. If you get a fair idea of the auto fare from hotel desks or friends, then you can convince the drivers to settle for them. Most festivasl are held in the Mylapore and T. Nagar / Mambalam areas.

While sabhas finalise the main artistes by September, they have to juggle with the accompanists. And hence, sabhas make public their concerts schedule in late November and these will be posted only then.

At present, we are not aware of anyone who hosts such a tour. But KutcheriBuzz has ideas to help organise such a tour for young artistes/tourists from outside Chennai in December. Look out for details on this web site.

Hotel Karpagam is the nook for artistes as well as guests. Its a simple, budget hotel, near the Sri Kapali Temple. Staying here will allow you to get a 'feel' of Mylapore life. And it it close to many sabhas.
The better hotels are Savera, Woodlands, Shelter, Sangeetha and Nilgiris Nest. All these are close to the venues but their rates can range from Rs.800 to Rs.2000. Most of them are booked in advance!.

Yes, the best artistes are always featured at The Music Academy. But the Academy does not market season tickets. It offers on sale daily tickets which need to be bought a few hours before the concerts. You can request the Academy office for special needs. It is advisable to queue up in the lobby for concerts featuring the best.

There are no formal face-to-face sessions with the artistes that are arranged at the halls. Rasikas like you have to be content with saying 'hello' backstage after a concert.

At least two huge sales of music albums are held at central locations in Chennai where even discounts are offered on many albums.
The AVM-promoted sale, usually held at Sri Sankara Hall in Alwarpet (near Narada Gana Sabha) presents products of all music companies.

This fest is hosted by the state-run Tourism Department at the seaside and heritage site of Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), some 54 kms from Chennai city. It normally begins in mid-December and ends in early January. Bharatanatyam, Kuchpudi, Odissi and Mohiniattam dances are presented every evening. The shows are ticketed and tickets can be bought at the venue. The setting is great and open air. If you plan to get back to the city, you can catchlocal buses or drive back. A bus trip takes about one hour...

Some sabhas host concerts to which admission is free. You need to look up the daily newspapers to locate those.

The Hindu', a leading daily English newspaper, carriies adverts on all the leading concerts. KutcheriBuzz also brings out a smart GuideBook which is out by Dec.1 and can be had from the office.