Standing tall among Gurgaon’s glassy malls, at the Apparel House (the headquarters of the Apparel Export Promotion Council, the nodal agency for promotion of readymade garments from India) in sector 44, is Epicentre, the new culture hub for the NCR.

This cultural convention centre, inaugurated recently, will be used for holding exhibitions, film screenings, workshops, conferences, banquets and shows of the visual and performing arts.

A venture of Old World Hospitality, which has been operating the hospitality facilities and cultural events at the India Habitat centre (known as Habitat World) since 1997, Epicentre has an auditorium, an art gallery, a multi-uisine restaurant, an amphitheatre and conference rooms. Its 45,000-sq ft conference hall is reportedly the largest and only such venue in Gurgaon.

“With the opening of Epicentre, residents of Gurgaon and the adjoining areas can look forward to the finest in music, dance, theatre and art. Hopefully, we will attract the best talent from the world of the arts,” says Vidyun Singh, director (programmes), Old World Hospitality.

The launch was marked by a play, ‘Kaifi aur Main’, by Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar, along with an exhibition, Artscape, where the works of 82 artists were displayed.

For February, the cultural calendar is already full, with a play by Feisal Alkazi, an Odissi recital by Madhavi Mudgal and scrumptious Sunday brunches with jazz music being some of the highlights.