Rs. 30 for adults, Rs. 20 for children above 12 years; parking charges extra

Mysore/Mysuru: A 66-day Special Dasara Exhibition is all set to entertain Mysureans after a gap of two years. The last Dasara Exhibition was held in 2019.

The exhibition with a wide range of shopping, food, entertainment and games will be inaugurated at the Dasara Exhibition Grounds this evening at 6. The exhibition will be open from 3.30 pm to 9 pm on all the 66 days. The expo will end on Jan. 30.

Adults entering the exhibition will be charged Rs. 30 and children between 5 years and 12 years will be charged Rs. 20. Apart from entry fee, parking charges will be separate. A decision on parking fees will be taken today evening.

In all, there will be 142 shops selling a wide variety of products from all over India including from cottage industry, pottery, handicrafts, cooperative weaving societies from Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and the likes. There will be many shops dedicated to household and consumer items and also rare metal and wooden crafts that can increase the aesthetic value of homes.

This apart, wholesome entertainment is in the offing along with lip-smacking delicacies. Special stalls are being set up to display toys and electronic items. Over 100 shops have already been established in the space provided by the Karnataka Exhibition Authority (KEA) and 45 more shoppers are on their way to establish outlets, said KEA Chairman Hemanth Kumar Gowda.

All entertainment activities will begin from Sunday (Nov. 28) and a host of entertainment activities, culinary training, pottery making and painting have been organised so that visitors can also learn some skills apart from indulging in shopping and filling their stomachs with delicacies. Arrangements have been made to cater to the interests of tourists and local residents, he added. 

Bengaluru-based Fun World has bagged the contract for the conduct of the entire expo and the deal has been signed for Rs. 62 lakh. The contractor has already paid the money to the KEA and has the exclusive rights for the entry tickets and parking. Also, the contractor has to bear the expenses of electricity, water, security, cleanliness and generators. The KEA will not spend money on these, Hemanth Kumar Gowda said.