The Department of Tourism, in association with the Odisha Sangeet Natak Academy, is organising the Konark Festival and the International Sand Art Festival at the open air auditorium and Chandrabhaga beach, respectively, from December 1 to 5.
Each year, the majestic Sun Temple of Konark serves as a backdrop to the scintillating Konark Dance Festival, which serves as a platform for different classical dance styles to exhibit the beauty of those art forms.
An annual fête of Indian classical dance and music, the Konark Festival brings champions of different classical and traditional dance forms together to display their skill and mastery over the age-old dance forms such as Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Odissi, Mohiniyattam and Kathak, amongst others. Since 1989, the fest has been drawing thousands of tourists and dance and music lovers to the sandy shores of Konark every year.
This year, 10 national and international acclaimed artists/groups have confirmed their participation at the festival. The list includes performers such as S Balakrishnan, Alok Kanungo, Singhjit Singh, Dr Alekhya Punjala, Anitha Guha, Rani Karnaa and Ileana Citaristi.