Bengaluru, 1 Dec

City platform UnboxingBLR on Monday unveiled three major initiatives spanning Bengaluru’s cultural, civic, and innovation sectors. The announcements include the third edition of the BLR Hubba 2026 cultural festival, a scaled-up Namma Bengaluru Challenge (NBC) startup accelerator, and the formal launch of India’s first Startup and Tech Museum.

The third edition of BLR Hubba, scheduled for 16–25 January, 2026, aims to position the City on the global cultural map and grow into one of India’s largest city festivals by 2030. 

The festival will feature more than 250 performances across over 12 genres, including international acts from Japan and Malaysia and guitarist Marty Friedman. Events will be staged at more than 20 venues, with 80 per cent of programming newly curated.

The Namma Bengaluru Challenge returns with a focus on climate action under the tagline “Hot Problems, Cool Solutions.” In partnership with WTFund and Social Alpha, and supported by the Karnataka government and Greater Bengaluru Authority, the grant pool has increased to Rs 25 lakh for each of five winners. After over 600 registrations, 10 shortlisted startups will pitch solutions addressing air pollution, construction waste, water, and sanitation issues on 24 January, 2026.

The Startup and Tech Museum, housed in a repurposed factory shed at the NGEF campus alongside the government-led deep-tech incubator Innoverse, will chronicle India’s and Bengaluru’s tech evolution. The immersive museum aims to educate and inspire visitors of all ages, showcasing the city’s innovation ecosystem as a global hub.