Sri Vijaya Puram, Dec. 29: The Island Tourism Festival-2025, being held with pomp and show saw large gathering at the ITF Ground here this evening as the five- day festival entered the third day today. Artistes from mainland and Island treated the gathering to a number of performances ranging from dances to songs to band and instrumental presentations. People thronged the venue to soak in the festive mood, December being a month of festivity. The venue glittering with colourful lights coupled with high volt music and dance makes it truly a night to remember for all who visit the ITF. Children were seen whiling away their time as they soak in the festive mood playing in the fun games corner set-up at the venue. Stalls selling delicious food items ranging from mouth-watering Indian cuisines to delectable savouries drew crowds besides stalls set up by Govt. Departments, disseminating information on various Govt. Schemes and stalls showcasing beautiful handicrafts and merchandise. The Departments include, Information, Publicity & Tourism, Agriculture, Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Car Nicobar, AAJVS, Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council, Fisheries, Industries, A&N Command, Office of the Deputy Commissioner, North & Middle Andaman and Rural Development, PRIs & ULBs. Organized by Directorate of IP&T with the support of Department of Art & Culture, A& N Administration, the festival will go on till December 31, 2025.
The air of merriment can be seen during the festival as families and friends get to spent their time together while they enjoy the cultural programmes presented by the artistes. The selfie point set up in the venue saw people clicking away photos and selfies with their loved ones. The festival not only provides the platform to the Island artistes to showcase their talents but also the opportunity to interact and meet other artistes from mainland and share and exchange their cultural diversity. During the day, Flower, Fruits and Vegetable Shows were organized by Department of Agriculture.
The Island Tourism Festival truly epitomizes the essence of unity in diversity where one can see confluence of cultures, food and socializing of people from different parts of the country. Overall, the festival aims to project A&N Islands as an ideal tourist destination by showcasing its pristine beauty and its rich cultural diversity where people from different parts of the country thrive in unity. Meanwhile, as part of ITF-2025, various cultural programmes are being organized in different parts of the Islands to enable islanders join in the celebration wherein the artistes deputed in different venues are entertaining the residents of the area during these five- days carnival.
At the ITF Main Pavilion, cultural programmes unfolded with Jhumurr (Shastriya-Lok) by Nrityangan, followed by performances from Laksh Institute of Shiksha and a creative dance presentation by artistes of EZCC, West Bengal. The audience was further enthralled by Thaiyyam presented by artistes of SZCC. The evening session featured performances by M.J. Music Academy, artistes from Jammu & Kashmir, and concluded with a lively presentation by the Unity Orchestra (Live Band).
The Marina Esplanade remained abuzz with activity where the cultural programme commenced with a skit by Girls’ School, followed by musical and dance performances by Sur Saptak – A Sangeet Academy, Ras by artistes of Gujarat under Youth Service & Cultural Activities, and semi-classical dance by Saras Dance Academy. Balkrishna Nritya Academy, Naach Academy of Performing Arts, Andaman Islands Film Society and Melody Mix (Live Band) also presented engaging performances.
At Wandoor, a packed line-up cultural events featured performances by Mukta Dhara, Sujata Dance Academy, Sambalpuri dance by artistes of EZCC, Kathak by artistes of Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Lucknow, and KRG Kalai Kaveri School. Folk and tribal dances, rituals and folk music by artistes of the Directorate of Culture & Language, Chhattisgarh added regional flavour, while karaoke performances by Friends Cultural Group, Youth Club Ograbraj, Kalangan and the Island Development kept the audience entertained.
In the northern regions, cultural programmes were also organized at Mayabunder wherein the cultural show started with a Mahamaya/Netaji-themed creative dance was presented by the artistes of EZCC, followed by a musical performance by Sangeet Musical Group (Karaoke) while, Diglipur hosted a vibrant show of traditional art forms including Marakkalattam, Karagam, Oyil, martial arts, Thappattam, Thira and Theyyam by artistes of SZCC, along with a performance by Srishti Cultural Group (Karaoke).
The diverse cultural presentations highlighted India’s rich artistic heritage and added grandeur to the ongoing Island Tourism Festival, leaving audiences with memorable experiences across all venues. If you are looking for a fun filled evening, then head to the ITF Ground for a spellbinding evening.