Review of The Lil Flea Shopping Fest, Delhi: Should You Visit It?

It’s been a hectic weekend in Delhi, folks. With a good movie playing in theatres (Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga), the fabulous India Art Fair at the NSIC Grounds, and The Lil Flea fest at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Read on to know if the Lil Flea is worth visiting.

THE LIL FLEA:

This festival is inspired by the successful flea market culture abroad. In London, I’ve visited numerous flea markets, vintage pop-ups, and weekend street fairs, and see many similarities.

Clockwise from L-R: 3D jewellery from Mirakin; Afghani jewellery from Gold Dust; funky bags from Fizza, vintage sunglasses from Pink Parliament

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE LIL FLEA:

Unlike other fests, the Lil Flea focusses on shopping and not food. Shopping stalls take up three-fourths of the space, with one small section dedicated to food stalls. The music stage is quite small. There’s also an open-air theatre to watch movies with headphones on. The bar offers limited alcoholic beverages and a few cocktails; and a trampoline passes off as the kids play area. A Book Exchange corner is a unique way to promote reading, but I’m not sure people engage in that activity.

WHAT I BOUGHT AND ATE AT THE LIL FLEA:

Having taken full advantage of the January sales, I didn’t do much shopping here. One ring from a local brand called Gold Dust was all I picked up. My friends bought earrings from Dhaaga Handcrafts, and cool vintage sunglasses from Pink Parliament. The funky jewelry from brands Mirakin and Iguana also caught our eye.

We played it safe and ate from our regular favourite restaurants. We had sriracha prawns from Namaste Asia; chicken tikka roll, malai tikka roll and Galouti kebabs from Koyla Kebab; as well as the Greenwich pizza from Fat Lulu’s. For dessert, we had a deliciously crumbly red velvet and Nutella cookie from Neighbour Baker. I had an unfortunately average Hot Toddy (whisky based cocktail) to accompany my meal, as there was no wine.

Clockwise from L-R: Galouti kebabs with roomali rote from Koyla Kebab; sriracha prawns from Namaste Asia; red velvet and nutella cookie from Neighbour Baker; artisanal chocolate from Saltinmycocoa Chocolates by Archit Aggarwal

REVIEW OF THE LIL FLEA: SHOULD YOU VISIT IT?

A flea market usually offers quirky, vintage goods at affordable prices. The Lil Flea has plenty quirkiness on offer, but most of it isn’t affordably priced. You can find original, handcrafted goodies, but you need to have an intent to shop. Honestly, Delhi’s Diwali melas, local thrift markets and online boutiques provide enough opportunity to shop at cheaper prices.

The fest suffers from other infrastructural problems as well. The shopping stalls are well-spaced, but the food stalls are located too close together, making the area seem empty on one end and uncomfortably cramped on the other. The layout of the shopping stalls makes it difficult for people to see each one, as they’re located in side-by-side rows. There is no designated parking space for attendees. I also feel this shopping fest is ill-timed in the freezing cold of January, after all major gifting occasions have ended.

Overall, I recommend a visit here only for the open-air theatre, the lovely Indie bands, and the food. If you have to choose one event this weekend, opt for the India Art Fair instead.

You can compare the Lil Flea to the Grub Fest, the Horn OK Please Fest and Zomaland Fest by visiting my reviews of each. Do subscribe to my blog by email for information and honest reviews of events happening in Delhi.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIL FLEA:

Days: 22, 23, 24 November 2019

Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Grounds, New Delhi

Time: 11 am – 11 pm

Ticket Price: INR 250

*All pictures are clicked by my friend Harpriya Kaur. Copyright belongs to nooranandchawla.

**This is not a sponsored post.