Things to do in Nanpura

Nanpura is the old riverside quarter just south of the fort, and Surat's traditional theatre district. Rang Upvan, a former open-air theatre that is now covered and seats nearly 1,400, hosts drama, garba, mushairas and music nights. The municipal Gandhi Smruti Bhavan theatre is also here; check whether a show is actually running there, because the building has been shut for rebuilding in recent years. The Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce's Samruddhi building near Makkai Pool runs business seminars and short courses most weeks. Old Parsi neighbourhoods and the Dutch Garden on the river bank make it a pleasant area to walk before a show.