Int’l kite and sweet festival to kick off today

Hyderabad: The countdown has begun, and Hyderabadis are gearing up for kaleidoscopic Sankranti celebrations as the stage is set for the sixth international kite and sweet festival. This year's main attraction will be night kite flying.

The sixth Telangana International Kite Festival (TIKF) 2024 will be held from January 13 to 15 at Parade Ground. 37 international professional flyers from 16 countries, including Indonesia, Switzerland, Australia, Sri Lanka, Canada, Cambodia, Scotland, Thailand, Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Italy, Taiwan, South Africa, and Netherlands and 47 national flyers will be participating. Different types of huge kites will be flown during the festival, thus making the sky more colourful. Various cultural programmes will also be organised to promote the local culture of the State. Apart from the kite festival, a sweet festival is also being organised.

Paavan Solanki, kite consultant, Telangana Tourism, said, “After three years, the festival has been organised on a large scale. After the grand success of all five seasons of the International Kite Festival, this year around 50 countries contracted us to be part of this fest, and out of that, we have shortlisted 37 flyers. This year, a special night-flying event is scheduled from 6 pm to 8 pm, where the flyers will fly digital kites (kites without strings) that are operated by remote. Compared to 2020, this year, international kite flyers have increased from 20 to 37 participants.

Dr MamidiHarikrishna, Director of the Language and Culture Department, Telangana government, said, “It is not only a kite festival; it is a mixture of four festivals that include kites, sweets, food, and cultural festivals. The sweet festival aims to celebrate national integrity and to exchange Indian culture among people of various cultures, languages, religions, and castes. Around 470 varieties of sweets from 22 States are made. The main aim of this festival is to celebrate the cosmopolitan tradition of the city, women empowerment and encourage homemade sweets. Also, a cultural festival is being organised by the Telangana Cultural Department; it will represent all the cultures and traditions of India, and the programme will begin from 11 am to 10 pm all three days.”

Around 800 stalls will be set up, including sweets stalls, food courts featuring Telangana cuisine, and handicrafts and handlooms stalls.

It is an exciting three-day festival celebrated with fun and fervour that coincides with the Makara Sankranti festival, a harvest festival. This year, we are expecting a footfall of 15 lakh visitors. The State government has taken all the precautionary measures, and the frequency of Metro Rail and TSRTC bus services will increase during the next three days, said a senior officer, Telangana Tourism.