VISAKHAPATNAM: The third edition of the Indian Lighthouse Festival was inaugurated by former Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu along with Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) Sarbananda Sonowal at MGM Park in Visakhapatnam on Friday.
The two-day cultural festival will feature a rich mix of experiences, ranging from traditional cuisine and festive celebrations to dance and theatre performances, interactive activity zones, and flavours of authentic coastal delicacies. The festival opened to an enthusiastic response, drawing over 3,500 visitors who engaged with cultural performances, exhibitions and interactive zones, marking a vibrant and successful start to the celebrations.
A key highlight of the opening day was the presence of over 40 self-help group (SHG) stalls from across Andhra Pradesh. These stalls offered a wide range of handcrafted artefacts and indigenous products, along with the rich flavours of coastal cuisine, presenting an inspiring showcase of community spirit and women-led entrepreneurship woven into the lighthouse tourism experience.
Speaking on the occasion, former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said the festival would not only prove to be a shot in the arm for lighthouse tourism but would also deepen collaboration and partnership with all stakeholders in the tourism industry.
He said he was pleased to note that the Lighthouse Festival included features such as a mega carnival highlighting regional cultural performances, art and craft markets, and night illumination of lighthouses, among other attractions. This, he said, added an interesting dimension to tourism by promoting local coastal culture and providing an impetus to economic development.
Later, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said lighthouses are emerging as vibrant centres of tourism, culture and local enterprise. He said the focus of the Narendra Modi government is to actively involve coastal communities by empowering them to preserve, protect and promote these iconic structures as living symbols of India’s maritime legacy.
He stated that by developing lighthouses as tourism and festive hubs, the government is creating a strong economic multiplier by generating jobs.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Kandula Durgesh, Minister for Tourism and Culture, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Members of Parliament, including Mathukumilli Sribharat and CM Ramesh, Mayor of GVMC and others.