BHUBANESWAR: The second edition of ‘Dot Fest’ - a part of city festivals to mark FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 - will be organised in the state capital from January 15 to 29 with a host of events that would witness participation by Bollywood celebrities and international storytellers.
As many as six major festivals and events such as Bhubaneswar live, international food festival, story-telling festival BhuFesto, Ekamra walks, night flea market and ‘Sebe-O-Ebe’ photo exhibition will be organised as part of the fest, said mayor Sulochana Das. Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) vice chairman Balwant Singh said the Dot Fest for which a budget of around Rs 10-12 crore has been earmarked this year will bring millions together and allow performers, local artists, startups and creators to showcase their talent. “The idea is to make the festival, one of the best in the world this time around, and bring it to the global tourism map,” Singh said.
The Bhubaneswar live show to be organised at Idco exhibition ground from 7 pm to 10 pm every day from January 15 to 24 will have a slew of celebrities making appearances. The curtain-raiser show on January 15 will have performances of K-pop band Blackswan, singer Guru Randhawa and actress Disha Patani. Similarly, the last day of the show will also witness performances by renowned choreographers like Shiamak Davar and Salman Yousuf. Pandit Haraprasad Chaurasia and Ustad Taufiq Qureshi will also perform in the show on January 19, while there will be a laughter riot with stand-up comedians Sunil Grover and Shilpa Rao taking the stage on January 20.
The international food festival will be organised from January 15 to 29 at the Idco exhibition ground 6 pm onwards showcasing global cuisines from 16 participating countries as well as popular dishes from Odisha and other parts of the country. BDA will also set up a night flea market from January 15 to 29 at Ekamra Haat where several makeshift stalls will be provided to vendors to promote local and indigenous products.
The market may remain open beyond 12 am. The story-telling festival BhuFesto will be organised on January 14 and 17 at IG Park, Buddha Jayanti Park, APJ Abdul Kalam Park and Kalabhoomi from 2.30 pm to 7.30 pm.