NEW DELHI: Delhi’s budding talents—singers or instrumentalists—will get an opportunity to showcase their artistic aptitude at the annual ‘Garden Tourism Festival’ starting from Friday at The Garden of Five Senses. Delhi Tourism, the organiser of the event—is approaching student bands and groups of various colleges of various universities in the national capital urging them to participate in the event. The festival will be the first biggest public event being organised in the city since the outbreak of the pandemic.
As the department is expecting a high footfall for the event, it has decided to stretch this annual three-day feature to 23 days this year. Manoj Das, manager (public relations and publicity) of Delhi Tourism, said if a college band or other local troupe is interested to perform at the event, they could approach the department and provide a link to their YouTube channel.
“The department will select the band after seeing their performances on YouTube. Apart from the flower show, we have planned evening culture events such as Qawwali performances, Rock shows and Nukkad Natak. Through the street plays, we will convey messages on prevention of Covid-19, Green Delhi and other social issues,” he said.
Several government agencies and private entities will also take part in the festival, which will develop special themed gardens. The agencies which are participating this year, include New Delhi Municipal Council, Central Public Work Department, Delhi Jal Board, Delhi Development Authority, Northern Railways, Airport Authority of India, Noida Authority.
“The participant agencies or companies develop special varieties of flower, especially for this festival. This year, we are trying to lay out gardens on the lines of Mughal Garden in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Our effort will be to follow all Covid protocols or government guidelines to maintain social distancing,” said Das. Delhi Tourism has been organising the festival for more than three decades to create awareness about the environment and showcase the rich floriculture of the city.
“Decking The Garden of Five Senses with over 50,000 flowering plants along the walkways, the festival aims to make for a vibrant and refreshing experience for its visitors. Besides being a delight to visit with friends and family, the event will proffer its annual Garden Bazaar and horticulture workshops for gardening enthusiasts,” he said.