Int’l kite fest opens door for more key events in State

CHENNAI: The Mahabalipuram skyline resembled a rainbow of sorts on Saturday. With the three-day International Kite Festival having commenced, the venue transformed into a mini carnival, with thousands having thronged to enjoy the sight of massive and colourful kites adorning the sky.

Speaking to DT Next about the festival, Benedict Savio, organiser of the event, said, “The festival is going well and we are having a lot of people coming in. Owing to this success, we are planning to have another event — the 8thedition of the Hot Air Balloon Festival in December and January. Since over 20 countries will participate, we are expecting it to be huge.”

Elated over the success of the Chess Olympiad, the State Tourism authorities are now gearing up for more festivals and events like the Namma Ooru Thiruvizha, Handloom and Textile festival, traditional sports festival, Indian dancers festival and so forth.

Divulging details about these events, Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Secretary B Chandra Mohan said, “We want Chennai to be known as the city of celebrations and festivals. Since we are ranked No. 2 in international arrival in India before the pandemic, we want to be more welcoming to people through these festivals.”

“We will have a Pongal Vizha (fest) in January in the rural areas which will focus on inviting more tourists. This will offer a peek into our culture and its rich traditions.” He added that the Ministry of Tourism website, Utsav, has listed all upcoming events.

With large-scale events happening back-to-back like the Flower Show, Chess Olympiad, and Singara Chennai Food Festival, it seems like Chennai-Mammallapuram stretch is on its way to having festivals and events all year round.