Valentine’s day | Circle of Love’s Big Picnik returns with line-up of international DJs and acts

A fashionable, inclusive dance floor full of pumping beats with a hardstop Cinderella deadline of 12am. This defined the first edition of Circle of Love’s Big Picnik at the Green Meadows resort in 2025. This all-out dance party with DJs and musicians like Kayan and Nami, clearly set the tone for what is to come this year. The festival returns for its second edition with international acts like Alexander Flood performing live dance music, jazztroniza and jazz house music, as well as Tiffany Quinn’s DJ set from the UK, all on February 14.

The organisers are clear about one thing : your relationship status does not matter here. All you need to know to do is to see where the rhythm takes you. “This year, the picnic starts right in the morning with a fitness and wellness session that focuses on yoga and sound healing. Music acts, a flea market, some great brunch, and some sets to top off the night, are part of the plan. Since it is a day-long event, we’d love for families to come too. It’s not a rave. It is a picnic,” says musician Gooth, one of the organisers.

Is it safe to say that we have reached a point where dedicated music communities in Chennai are pulling all the tricks from under their sleeves to ensure that the city accesses cool acts and DJs? If the line-up is anything to go by, the answer is yes.

Rasa, a Bengaluru-based DJ who is originally from Punjab, says that it is going to be her fifth time playing in Chennai. “It’s a growing scene. And I love to be a part of something that’s flourishing. The electronic music scene is becoming big now in Chennai. I’m glad to see that and contribute in every way possible,” she says, adding that since she will likely close the night, she will play some high energy numbers while slipping in some lovey-dovey numbers since it is Valentine’s day.

Rasa says that she is most excited to see Australian drummer Alexander Flood perform with his band. Her sentiment is sure to find resonance among others who are attending the festival to catch the headliner. Flood, who has been performing with his band across India, brings together a collision of jazz, funk, and rhythmic dance music. Speaking to The Hindu, the musician says that he didn’t ever doubt that the people in the country would vibe to their music. “A festival like this allows us to reach people outside of those who’d attend a club gig. We are putting together a set that appeals to a wider audience,” he says.

Gooth says that Circle of Love is an effort to champion indigenous musical talent. It is why artists like Siiry, Hary Shanthi, Ana.Gha, Vardhan, and Nami, will be part of the line-up too, besides Gooth’s own performance with Kabir and Pushkar who have been part of the early Chennai rap scene.

An interesting addition to this year’s festival will be a workshop on how to use a DJ console by AlphaTheta and Bootcamp Goa. This is besides a romantic vinyl pop-up by the The Revolver Club where people can browse through old vinyls and add them to their collection.

The Big Picnik by Circle of Love is on February 14 at Green Meadows starting 7am till midnight. Tickets are at ₹1,499 for a couple and ₹999 for singles.