The North East Festival will return in Delhi this Christmas after two years of hiatus due to Covid-19 outbreak. Time to get ready to revel in the spirit of Northeast India’s vibrant culture!
The capital’s biggest and most awaited fiesta gives visitors an experience to the diverse food, crafts, and culture of the region, under one umbrella.
The 2022 North East Festival has an exciting line-up of colourful dance dramas, music performances, mask presentations, fashion shows, open-mic sessions and a lot more. A North East Rock Battle will be organized among various rock bands from across India. As many as 50 food stalls will present diverse food items not only from Northeast India but across Delhi-NCR to encourage cross-cultural awareness and exchange.Ever-enthusiastic food lovers should try out jadoh, sanpiau, iromba, masor tenga, smoked pork, and more.
The musical extravaganza includes exclusive artistes from different genres – from folk to rock, pop to jazz. Bands include Klanjan (Assam), Innocent Eyes (Manipur), Traffic Jam (Manipur), Flying Cupid (Assam), Bipul Chetri & The Travelling Band (Sikkim/Darjeeling), Trance Effect (Nagaland), Taba Chake (Arunachal Pradesh), and Jessie Lyndoh (Meghalaya). Other popular artistes and bands include the poster boy of Assam Zubeen Garg, Achurja Barpatra, and When Chai Met Toast. The nights will also witness electrifying performances by star DJs from the region. Another highlight will be the battle of the bands – a rock music competition- for the youths of North East and Delhi.
The fashion shows will see 16 designers of the region featuring local fabrics and designs on models and celebrities from the states.
The exhibition arena, which aims to showcase ‘Made in North East’ products, will have an MSME zone, wherein more than 100 MSME entrepreneurs of North East India will showcase agri-horti products, handloom, handicrafts, processed food products and much more. Around 140 stalls will be put up for this exhibition and a marketplace will be created wherein visitors can explore and buy authentic and original products from the region. Additionally, tourism stalls will be set-up to promote the region’s popular and off-beat places.
The tenth edition of the festival will be inaugurated by G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). Apart from Reddy, the festival is expected to be graced by Piyush Goel, Minister of Commerce & Industry (2019-present), Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution; Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways & Ministry of Ayush; Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Law & Justice, and respective Chief Ministers of the region among other dignitaries.
Since its inception in 2013, this larger-than-life festival has contributed towards a significant rise in boosting tourism in the North Eastern states. The first seven editions were organised from 2013 to 2019 respectively at IGNCA, Janpath, New Delhi, and witnessed massive crowds. The last two editions were held in Guwahati, in a hybrid model, due to the insurgence of COVID-19.
When: December 23 – 26
Where: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (gate no 14)
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