SAMBALPUR: Over 700 artistes will perform at Sambalpur Lok Mahotsav which will be held after a gap of two years. The five-day event will kick off on January 13.
The coordinator of the Lok Mahotsav Ranjan Sahu said every year, the festival is held for three days from January 4 to 6. However, in view of the upcoming hockey World Cup, the annual cultural extravaganza has been rescheduled to commemorate the mega sporting event.
“This year, the Lok Mahotsav will begin on January 13 and conclude on January 17. The next day (January 18) will be hockey special day on which eminent music composer and singer Kailash Kher will perform at the festival venue,” informed Sahu.
At least 43 cultural troupes including three international and eight national groups will perform during the event. Cultural troupes from nine blocks of the district including areas under the Sambalpur Municipal Corporation have also been invited to perform.
Artistes of traditional dance forms of western Odisha, which are on the verge of extinction, will be given precedence during the festival. The Sambalpur Lok Mahotsav began in 1997 with the objective of reviving and preserving the dying art forms of the land.
For the last more than two decades, the festival has been giving a new lease of life to several art and dance forms which are on the verge of extinction. The festival has also been providing a platform to folk artistes from across the state, Sahu added.