India, Sept. 21 -- As the week-long Bandra Fair, held in honour of the Feast of the Nativity of Mother Mary on September 8, draws to a close on Sunday, the annual festival appears to have lost some of its traditional sheen and enthusiasm this year, with several stalls lying vacant and long-standing vendors and residents blaming steeply higher stall costs, lower footfall and a lottery-based allotment system for the change.

The fair, one of Mumbai's oldest, is believed to be more than 300 years old. The event has traditionally drawn visitors of different faiths, with older estimates putting its footfall at around more than 100,000 visitors a day.

However, this year, several stalls remained vacant, while traditional sellers of Goan delicac...