India, Nov. 22 -- Once the sun goes down, some of India's coolest plans come to life. Just last month, while Mumbai's rains were hanging on like a pesky ex, one group decided that late night was the time to roll. Around 10pm, college student Vikas Mandal and his buddies from the 14-year-old community, Skateboarding In Mumbai, gathered in South Mumbai and cruised through the city's iconic old precincts - Flora Fountain, Gateway of India, Asiatic Library and Marine Drive. They chose the perfect hour. The streets were empty, the breeze was finally cool, and it was easier for all of them - some members are as old as 40 - to wrangle out free time. In Hyderabad, programme manager Dipayan Banerjee, 31, has found his own rhythm after sunset. He often hops onto his bicycle for a spin along the 23-kilometre solar-roofed cycling track that runs parallel to the city's Outer Ring Road. It's open 24/7 but "I love cycling at night," he says. "I can go whenever I want, and Hyderabad is warm most of the year, so riding in the cooler hours feels better." We thought we were zombies, shuffling along and looking for mental stimulation. Turns out, we're actually vampires, biding our time in the day only to come out at night. So, across India, events companies have quietly been filling up night-time slots for heritage walks, diving expeditions, stargazing sessions, sailing sessions, hikes, even music concerts. Nights used to be for vegetating in front of the TV and decompressing from life. Now, they're primetime for a social life. Are introverts and morning people OK with this? After-hours events are like seeing the same world through a new filter, say adventurers. Sabina Vinod, 48, recently signed up for a night tour of Chickpet, a bustling marketplace in Bengaluru, organised by Gully Tours. The learning and development professional loves history and culture. "We learnt how the jewellery market took shape in those narrow lanes, and how old hotels and colonial buildings have turned into clothing stores." The bonus: The iconic Laxmi Natraj Refreshments wasn't packed, which meant she could enjoy a wafer-thin podi masala dosa in peace. In Pune, school teacher Neha Sharma, and her scientist husband Ashish Arora, both in their 30s, signed up to watch fireflies at a camp near Mulshi Dam last year. Deep in the forest, a glowing swarm emerged. "The trees lit up! We also noticed the fireflies followed a synchronised pattern. A constellation would illuminate one section of the tree, then fade to darkness as another cluster burst into light elsewhere. It lasted ten minutes, but it was the highlight of the night." And for a few, overcoming an old fear is turning out to be rewarding. Shivraj Shah, who moved from Mumbai to Sydney, Australia, is a certified rescue diver, and credits his instructor with convincing him to attempt a night dive off Chidiya Tapu, a tiny island in the Andamans in 2023. "I was reluctant because I feared the dark," he says. "But at night, marine life is different. You spot sea slugs, insects and sleeping fish. None of this is visible in the day." Anoushka Jain founded Enroute Indian History in 2019, spotting an opportunity after the Archaeological Survey of India began illuminating key monuments in Delhi and opening them to evening visitors. Her group leads two popular post-sunset walks: Raat Ke Afsane, which weaves history and poetry through Qutub Minar, Safdarjung's Tomb, Sunder Nursery and Lodhi Garden; and Ruhani Raatein, which explores ghost stories and legends at Purana Qila and Mehrauli Archaeological Park. But Jain's walks begin in the evening, not deep into the night, so that the women tour leaders can get back home safely. "Sometimes, sections of monuments are blocked without notice, which disrupts the experience." There haven't been power cuts in the last few years, the monuments are cleaner than before but "the professionalism among management and staff still feels lacking." In Goa, Kim Sabir battles a different issue: How to get interested people to an interesting place at night in a state where public transport is abysmal even in the day. Sabir's company, Adventure Breaks, introduced moonlight kayaking in 2021 and expanded into moonlight sailing experiences. "With no Uber or Ola, no local buses or the Metro, people are at the mercy of taxi drivers who overcharge. Sometimes participants pay more to get to the activity than the activity itself," he says. And yet they come. Sabir's company has hosted some 600 guests across 125 moonlight events. Of course, Mumbai would be Ground Zero for night-time events; it is the city that never sleeps. "But Mumbai transforms when the traffic disappears," says Harshvardhan Tanwar. "You can engage with the architecture without constant horns and chaos." Tanwar founded the tour-experiences company, No Footprints, in 2014 and introduced midnight cycle rides in 2016. But while his events start at midnight in Mumbai, his Delhi tours of the Chandni Chowk and Qutub areas are held "at a time when the streets are still lively". His Jaipur bar crawl is conducted in a Jeep, "so participants are not walking around". Sudipto Lahiry launched Calcutta by Night last year to showcase Kolkata's Dalhousie Square and smaller historic neighbourhoods such as Chitpur. They've held two editions of their Freedom at Midnight Walk, which kicks off at 9pm on August 14 and winds up at 2am on Independence Day. En route are hideouts where freedom fighters met, stories about secret societies, and the spot where Gandhiji stayed for a brief while in 1947. The walks are popular enough for Lahiry to think bigger. "But even if the ASI opens a few structures at night, we need the local administration to be accommodating. Often, we're confronted by the police just for parking near a heritage building or gathering in a large group after sundown." Some governments are waking up to nighttime revenue. In October 2025, the Maharashtra government announced that establishments, excluding liquor outlets, can operate 24/7. In Delhi, some restaurants, hotels and transport services are allowed to operate around the clock. Hyderabad is working on a policy to keep cafes, cultural venues and transport operational after dark. It's an uphill task in the dark. Even our big cities have shady alleys, unreliable street lighting, night patrols who can't tell the difference between a nerdy heritage walk and drunken troublemakers. Once Indians step out at night, there's no going back. Writer and nature enthusiast Setu, 33, moved to Dehradun in 2022, and enjoyed a night tour of Mussoorie conducted by Been There Doon That. They set out at 8pm, drove down, took in the colonial buildings, heard tales of how the town got its name from the Mansoori tree, and were done by midnight. "These walks feel like time travel," he says. "You get to see what's changed, what's endured, and what we've lost along the way."...