Performers at London’s First Festival of Love | Photo credit: Special Arrangements
They say don’t look for love, let it find you. Relationship coach Sunny Sekhun is trying to make it easy for singles with his Love Festival. After a successful round in London last month, where 700 singles were called to fulfill their matches (an equal number of men and women), the event now comes to Mumbai next weekend, and then New York in April. will go The Indian edition, called the Mumbai Love Festival, aims to bring together singles from across the city and the country. “We have even flown in participants from Chennai and Kolkata,” says Sunny on a call from London, where he lives.
Sunny will be in India for the event at Praya in Worli, Mumbai. In keeping with the white party theme, the venue will have white decorations. White means purity and love is pure, believes Sunny, who has been a relationship coach for eight years. The event will feature performances, DJs, a manifesto corner, and separate areas for discussion. “While the London edition featured speed dating, the Mumbai edition will feature matchmaking based on the psychology of human needs,” says Sunny. For this, participants are required to fill out a form and answer specific questions that will help him and his team assess their personality. “A lot of effort goes into connecting people at the right level,” he adds.
Sunny Sekhon | Photo credit: Special Arrangements
He says he came up with the idea for the festival of love when his clients kept complaining about how dating apps didn’t work. “I basically decided to set up a dating event for my clients and see how they interact and handle the situation,” he says. He organized a meeting of 100 singles in London in 2021. It created a buzz and people wanted more events like this so the next one would be 200 singles. “It was successful when people started coming into relationships. I noticed that as the event progressed, they became more confident and more open,” he adds. But Sunny also admits that there are people who have been attending these events and have 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 partners,” he said. say
Sunny also has a list of happy stories. He recalls that a woman once approached him and said that she had met her partner at his program. “This was a woman who was against meeting people through dating apps or her family. But she came to the event and the person she met was actually someone who lived around the corner from her. And saw her driving by everyday but never got to talk to her. And now they’ve been in a relationship for months,” he says.
A snapshot of the previous edition of the Love Fair in London
While a large number of attendees are Sunny’s clients who consult her for their relationships, the event is open to all, primarily those between the ages of 23 and 42. For those new to the concept of love fests, Sunny has some advice: “Go there to give, not to take: compliment someone well, have a nice conversation. Remember, some people can be nervous. Just enjoy the event. Put the past behind you and come there refreshed and open to love.
The Mumbai Love Festival is on March 11 at Praya, Worli. After 4.30 p.m. Log on to eventbee.com for tickets. The last date for registration is March 9.
