New Delhi [India] Nov 1 : The seventh North East Festival will be held from November 8 at IGNCA lawns in the national capital and will showcase cultural diversity and rich traditions of eight north-eastern states.
The three-day festival will be inaugurated by Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphu Rio and Union Minister of State for Food Processing Rameshwar Teli will be among those present.
The North East is home to over 220 ethnic languages spoken by various tribes and sub-tribes and the festival will create awareness for the extinct tribal languages in the region through workshops by tribal language experts, ballads and art installations.
The event will feature 100 craft stalls of authentic and exotic handloom products from North East, an official release said.
There will be a buyers-sellers meet on North East textiles to give an overview of the growing textile market in India to the local artisans.
With support from ADTOI (Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India) and Ministry of Tourism, a North East Tourism Roadshow will also be organised.
It will be attended by more than 100 tour operators and there will be multilateral dialogue on trade and business.
The event will have 40 food stalls that will serve diverse food items. There will also be a fashion show in which 20 designers will present their collections.
There will be a "Rock Battle" in which rock bands from Delhi and North East will take part.
The event will see the "dancing and singing sensations" of North East including Bipul Chettry, Zubeen Garg, Papon, Frisky Pints, Island Warrior, Mc Heam and Friends. Emerging talent from the region will also get the opportunity to show their potential.
"The North East Festival is an attempt to showcase and create awareness about India's North East and to promote entrepreneurship and tourism. The seventh edition of NEF will be organised on November 8,9 and10 and will bring out the best of the region," said Shyamkanu Mahanta, Organiser- in- Chief, North East Festival.
"A large exhibition of art, workshop of tribal languages, a large carnival of music, dance, ethnic food, spectacular fashion and exhibition of photography will present the rich and varied culture of the states. One of the major aims of the festival is an attempt to build bridges and promote positive vibes", he added.
Mahanta said North East is known for its clean air and water and efforts were being made to end use of single-use plastic.
"We will take a pledge and would like to urge the tourists not to use single-use-plastic in the region. As a first step to create awareness, we will try to reduce the use of single-use plastic such as plastic plates, spoons, glass as much as possible during the festival," he said.
The entry for the Festival is free and the timing is 11 am to 10 pm.