5-day Gopalpur Beach Fest from Dec 24

Bureau,Odishabarta

Berhampur:The popular and much awaited Gopalpur Sea Beach festival will be held in the famous beach resort town at Gopalpur on Sea, 15 km from here from December 24 to 28, informed Ganjam Collector Dibyas Jyoti Parida,while briefing to Media.

Arrangements are going on in full swing to make the Gopalpur Beach Festival bigger and better than the previous years, said Ganjam district collector Divyajyoti Parida in a press meet in Berhampur on Friday.

The administration has roped in several Bollywood singers, stand-up comedians, dance groups, Ollywood stars, Odissi dancers and folk artists from Odisha to perform during the festival. Singers Javed Ali, Arman Mallick and Sona Mahapatra are among the prominent artists from Bollywood.

Famous dance groups like Dance India winner ‘V Company’, India Got Talent winner ‘Prince Dance Group’ will also entertain the crowd on stage. Similarly, comedians Sunil Grover, Pragyan and Shankar are among other performers.

Eminent Odissi dancers like Ileana Citaristi, Saswat Joshi and folk dancers from different parts of Odisha and other states are set to steal the show this year.

Kandha dance by the troupe from Sundargarh, Ganda Nrutya from Nabarangpur, Dhemsa from Koraput, Paika Akhada from Gajapati, Sambalpuri from Sambalpur, Kathakali by Ramayani Ray, Kuchipudi by Srikant of Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, Sattriya dance by Sitarani Hazarika from Assam and Sambalpuri songs by Mantu Churia are also expected to enthral the audience.

A series of events including Pallishree Mela, Meena Bazar, Food Court, Biju Manoranjan Park and exhibition have been lined up for the mega festival.

Notably, the festival will be held after a gap of two years. A preparatory meeting was organised by the district administration at Gopalpur which was presided over by the Ganjam district Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida.  A detailed road map was prepared to organise the event.

Simultaneously, the ORMAS is also likely to organise the national level “Palishree Mela” during the fest. In the Mela various women SHGs will showcase their products. Besides cultural programmes by eminent artists will be performed every evening to attract the visitors and tourists, sources said.

Collector Parida has reportedly instructed all the departments and stakeholders to prepare a blue print specifying the  various requirements including sanitation, law and order arrangement, repair and renovation of key roads for smooth communication, proper identification and  selection of artists, musicians and other cultural groups and provision for their proper accommodation during the fest.

The Culture Department will reportedly contribute the lion’s share while the rest will be collected from sponsors. Many Cabinet rank Ministers, high profile politicians, renowned artists, a barrel of dignitaries and nearly five lakh visitors are expected to witness the five-day long mega fest.