Bandra Fair 2025: Over One Lakh Devotees Expected At Mount Mary

This year, during the Bandra Fair, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, popularly known as Mount Mary, is expected to see a foot-fall of over 1,500 devotees at each mass. "There will be around 1,300 devotees seated in the shamiana outside the Basilica," says Fr Sunder Albuquerque, vice rector at the Basilica. "Apart, from that there will be several people standing as well. The idea is to keep people seated, as it will be comfortable for the devotees and easier for us to manage the crowd and avoid any stampede."

Next year, they plan on opening a side wing which can accommodate another 600 people on platforms which have been renovated.

While the Basilica is prepping itself for huge crowds as the Ganpati festival has wrapped up, and people from all faiths visit Mount Mary Church, the BMC is making sure they chip in as well.

"The BMC is taking disaster management very seriously," says Fr Sunder. "Senior officers from the police, traffic and fire brigade were here to brief us. People were made in charge of departments like first-aid, fire, stampede, etc. in case of an emergency. It was impressive to just watch them in action.

"If there is a crisis, there are people to be on the watch to alert them. There are people to take first line of action.

"Who is the man on the spot? How do they communicate? All this was demonstrated by them. A first-aid team is in place and the first responders ideally should be these people and not everyone running helter-skelter, without anything actually being organised. I think it was excellent just watching the BMC in action, and I was really impressed."

On the afternoon of September 7, Mount Mary saw 10,000 devotees; on the afternoon, of September 8, which happened to be the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, there were around 16,000 people. However, on the final day of Bandra Fair, around one lakh devotees are expected.

"We have 10 masses in the day. Even with 10,000 devotees at each mass, we will have a lakh devotees coming in. That's a given. In the evenings, there will be so many more people who will drop by," says Fr Sunder who has been trying hard to gauge the numbers.

"Counting the foot-fall, we can prepare ourselves. No point doing this exercise later, as there will only be regrets if something happens. So let's do what we can, when we can," he adds with a smile.

"Come and find peace," he advices all the devotees planning to visit Mount Mary over the next few days.

Going down memory lane, remembering the time he visited Mount Mary as a child, Fr Sunder says, "Coming to the Mount, we always came as family. Mom, dad, my brothers and sisters... it was always a family event. We would come, I don't remember much of the prayer part of it, but we come definitely to pray, and then visiting the Bandra Fair was the highlight for us as kids."

"I have seen the Bandra Fair from different perspectives. But it is getting more and more commercial. However, we can bring back the spiritual. That's why we have created a prayer zone. So that people can really prayer as they come up, attend mass, receive the Eucharist, give confessions, pay devotion to Mother Mary, and go back rejoicing the way of the light."