Lighthouse festival gets off to a colourful start
The two-day event features folk dance and music performances representing coastal States
image for illustrative purpose
Visakhapatnam: The third edition of Lighthouse Festival got off to a glittering start amid cold breeze on the seaside MGM Park here on Friday.
Thousands of people thronged the festival as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) launched the festival aimed at promoting lighthouses as vibrant centres of tourism, culture and maritime heritage.
The two-day event features folk dance and music performances representing India’s coastal States, Nukkad Natak highlighting maritime and community themes, magic shows for children, maritime-inspired fashion showcases, coastal cuisine, crafts and family-oriented activities.
As part of cultural evenings, performances from noted playback singers Monali Thakur and Ankit Tiwari enthralled the spectators.
The stalls at the festival were inaugurated by MoPSW Secretary Vijay Kumar, who stressed on the signifiance of India's rich maritime history and called for promoting lighthouse tourism in Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
A total number of 44 stalls were put up at the venue displaying handicrafts, textiles, woodcarvings, paintings made by local artisans.
The festival aims to position Visakhapatnam as a key hub for lighthouse tourism while celebrating coastal culture, community participation and maritime traditions under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. It also plans to promote PPP mode of tourism through lighthouses by highlighting the glorious maritime past of the coastal areas.
A galaxy of leaders including former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh and Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) Chairman Dr M Angamuthu were present.
As part of the festival, crafts mela, food stalls, family activities, electrifying dance spectacle blending Andhra Pradesh's culture, a play to offer tribute to coastal communities for fostering maritime economy and a magic show were organised on the opening day.
