A couple of days before the festival, I got some great shots of the setting sun in Mumbai.
In my neighbourhood there are always guys selling coconut juice. They just slice off the top of the coconut, stick in a straw and you drink away. 15 Rs. Sweet.
Fresh fruit is plentiful here.
People are getting their Ganesh pavilions ready.
Cow traffic jam.
We had a nice thunderstorm the eve of the festival, and even got a rainbow!
Did I mention it's hot here? This is from me walking around outside for well less than an hour.
The morning of the festival. Uh oh. Bomb blasts?
Here's a band resting up before their first gig of the day. They'll do up to five of them, each of the parades paying extremely well.
As I went out for breakfast, the parades were already starting, so there was to be no conversation at the breakfast table. For some reason, I found the music strangely compelling, and never once got sick of it. 
While I was eating breakfast, the first parade passed. This family decided to go for a small Ganesh statue but paid the big bucks for a huge band.
You can see their Ganesh fits in the back of a mini-van. Tiny by local standards.
They move at a very leisurely pace. Maybe 1 mile an hour at most.
This band was huge, with these guys in skirts and little cymbal things.
All these parades make a mess of traffic. The general rule is: on the first and last day of Ganpati, do not drive. Anywhere.
Crazy dancing is mandatory.
Fireworks time. This string was about 20m (60') long.
The biggest fireworks are saved for when you're about to arrive at your destination. The video is a bit shaky at the beginning because I had the camera in front of my face to protect it against flying debris from the fireworks. Ouch! 
Make no mistake! There's another Ganesh less than 100m behind this one!
You gotta advertise your community name of course!
There's an orphanage around the corner from my temple. All the kids were absolutely thrilled by all the noise.
This group splurged for a big Ganesh truck
Getting ready to receive the lord.
Since this is a local Ganesh workshop, some few dozen will head out of here today.
This guy was going around giving everybody orange marks on their forehead for good luck.
This group not only had tabla drummers, but also some flute guys. Kewl.
In the workshop. The guy I followed's community was second in line to get their Ganesh out.
The first one was pretty big, so it took a while to get it going and out of there.
Their band was already pretty enthusiastically playing.
A lot of discussion goes into moving a Ganesh.
The guy in the middle is Kamlesh, the guy I ended up following around for the day. He's pretty friendly, and speaks pretty decent English.
The band gets ready for the Ganesh to be loaded onto the wagon!
Here the group I was following rolls out their Ganesh. These things weigh a few hundred kilos each, so it takes a few people to put them onto a little wagon to take it to the waiting oxcart, which will carry it to their complex. Listen for the frequent "ganpati baba moryas" .... 
Working our way to the main street where the oxcart is waiting. The band starts right away and it's a pretty loud and crazy affair. 
The previous Ganesh getting ready to head out.
Our community was to use an ox-pulled cart. More traditional and significantly cheaper. I'm not sure how much the oxen care for it....
As the drums start and the Ganesh gets loaded, the kids start dancing up a storm.
More people waiting in line behind us for their turn.
The oxcart is made ready.
While they load the Ganpati onto the oxcart, the hired band plays away. They cost about Rs 5000 for the 3 hour parade (a monstrous sum by Indian standards), and are energetic as hell. Watch as one guy busts his drum. And as some guy decides he wants to be my BFF. 
Even though most of the females will wait at the apartment community for the arrival of Ganesh, some of the younger girls came along for the fun.
Well, mostly fun.
There are even mini-Ganeshes!!!
"Is it our turn yet?"
Load that bad boy on!
"Is it time to move yet?"
And he's up!!!!
The tabla band gets started. Insanely loud.
Had to be careful today because the beggar kids were still out in full force...
Oxen still not looking to thrilled about the whole thing. Although they were definitely pretty calm in spite of the huge throng.
The preceding group was throwing around this pink/purple powder.
Sucks to be parked on this street today.
"Hello? Money money!!!"
Me and my main man Ganpati!
If you're a young kid, you get to ride on the cart. Awesome.
And we're off!!!!
Offerings for the lord Ganesh
Kamlesh's daughter Yatha. Cute.
Ugh. Working time ....
Ladies selling little firework things you throw on the ground (makes a little bang).
Me'n'my good luck mark. Did I mention Mumbai is pretty hot?
There are still people trying to get around today. Eeek!
If you're on a motorcycle and must get through? Sidewalk. It's the only way.
Everybody loves to watch the processions. They're cool.
All the kids really get into the dancing. The drum beats compel it.
Now I not only have an orange good luck mark, but now an orange Ganpati headband!
I think it says Ganpati baba morya, but I can't read Devnagari, so .... uh ....
Ganesh traffic jam! We actually overtook this Ganesh because it was too slow. Who'da thunk our oxen would zip past a truck?
On the street, your Ganpati is just one of hundreds out and about the entire day. You literally end up with Ganesh traffic jams and people all try to outdo each other with bigger and more impressive Ganeshes. 
Here's another band. They have colour coordinated t-shirts.
These girls didn't look terribly impressed by the whole thing.
This local pavilion was waiting for their Ganesh to arrive still.
It's a race!
Oooh, badass with those there sunglasses on.
"Oh crap, where the hell do I go now?"
We then strolled down one of the biggest roads in Mumbai, arriving at the apartment complex.
There's the little shrine thing waiting for the Ganesh. This group, all said and told, spend about 2500$ on the whole festival, about 7 months salary for the middle class worker (and about 2 years for a labourer).
And there go the fireworks!
And here come the ladies with the blessings.
The whole community is dolled up for the event.
Kids and the elderly wait around watching all the fun.
You smash cocunuts in front of Ganesh for good luck. The city goes through a few million cocunuts today alone.
Offerings...
The Ganesh is then unloaded onto the stage.
After the unloading, the cart guy immediately zips off to his next gig.
Not done yet -- have to spend a few hours decorating the statue in silver trappings and charms.
Myself and Kamlesh.
Lots of people passing on the street will just come into the complex and offer blessings to the statue. You even see guys on bicycles and motorcycles making quick gestures every single time they see one.
At first I thought these were some sort of bonfire for the Ganesh festival ... but then I figured out they're just flame-outs from a local refinery.
That night I walked around to see all the various Ganesh setups. There's one every 100m or so.
The more elabourate ones will have lines to come and make offerings.
It still sucks trying to get anywhere.
This is on one of the bigger streets near my place.
I love the "amusment park rides" here. They're all hand-powered. Kids still love 'em.
This pavilion gave you a free candy or something as you came to offer blessings.
A regular local Hindu temple.
This was a flying Ganesh with peacock and everything. Wow!