Mysuru: In a bid to boost tourism, the District Administration and the Department of Tourism has organised a slew of events on the lines of Dasara as part of Mysuru Winter Festival or Magi Utsav this year. The festival will be held from Dec.22 to Dec.31 at various places in city.

Apart from the annual Flower Show at Mysore Palace premises, a host of cultural programmes, Music Concerts, Dolls Show, Cake Festival, Adventure Sports, Film, Art and Bird Festival, Police Band and display of fireworks are planned to give wholesome entertainment to the tourists and the locals, enabling them to welcome the New Year in style.

As the city witnesses a heavy influx of tourists for Christmas and New Year, the District Administration is leaving no stone unturned to make the Magi Utsav a grand success — it will be a ‘December to Remember’ in its true sense.

Para motor gliding at Maharaja’s Grounds  

Speaking to media persons at his office yesterday, Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar said that one of the major highlights of this year’s Winter Festival is para motor gliding for adventure buffs at Maharaja’s College Grounds.

This event had received an overwhelming response in the recently held Dasara celebrations where thousands of people thronged the venue to take a ride and also witness the event. This year, the event will be held from Dec.22 to Dec.31.   

Bangalore Aviation and Sports Enterprise (BASE) has obtained permission to host the event and a two-seater glider (one for the pilot and one for the passenger) will fly tourists for 15-minutes up in the air to have a glimpse of the city. The fee fixed for one ride is Rs.2,000, the DC said.

Organic Fair, Art Festival at K.R. Boulevard  

Another attraction of this year is Mysuru Art Festival organised by Department of Tourism where there will be an exhibition-cum-sale of artefacts on Krishnaraja Boulevard. This will be held on Dec.30 from 8 am to 5 pm.

On the other side of the same road, a fair of organic food will be held as part of the mission to promote organic products produced by the farmers of the region. The art festival is organised on the lines of the annual Chitra Santhe in Bengaluru conducted by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat as Mysuru had contributed a lot for promotion of fine arts and culture.

Cake Festival at Jayamma Govindegowda Kalyana Mantap  

In addition to the flower show, a Cake Festival will be organised by Department of Food and Civil Supplies from Dec.26 to 28 at Jayamma Govindegowda Kalyana Mantap in Kuvempunagar.

Last year, the Cake Festival was conducted at Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry. This year, the District Administration has changed the venue as it has decided to use Nanjaraja Choultry as a strong room to secure EVM machines for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Moreover, Jayamma Govindegowda Kalyana Mantap has a large area and there is good space for parking vehicles.

Bird Festival at city lakes

As part of promoting eco-tourism besides spreading awareness about birds, a Mysuru Bird Festival is being organised on Dec.28 and 29 where visitors will be taken to places like Kukkarahalli Lake and other Lakes in city that attract a large population of birds. The event will include field visit as well as technical sessions, the Deputy Commissioner said.

Open Film Festival at Maharaja’s Grounds

The Department of Tourism will conduct an Open Film Festival at Maharaja’s College Grounds to entertain movie buffs. It will be held for four days from Dec.26 to Dec.29 from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm. A big screen measuring 12X4 feet will be put up at Maharaja’s College Grounds to screen movies.

On the evening of Dec.26, a Kannada film ‘Sarakari Hiriya Pratamika Shaale Kasargodu’ will be screened and on Dec.29, ‘Ambi Ninge Vayassaytho’ will be screened. Plans are there to screen Hindi movie ‘Secret Super Star’ or ‘Dangal’ on Dec.27 and English movie ‘Jungle Book’ or ‘Avengers’ is likely to be played on Dec.28, according to Deputy Director of Tourism H.P. Janardhan.

Fireworks display

To welcome the New Year 2019, a grand display of fireworks has been arranged at Mysore Palace on the midnight of Dec.31. Police Band will perform from 11 pm to 12 midnight. The Police Department has planned widespread security arrangements at all event venues to ensure smooth Winter Festival, the DC said.

Tight security

Answering to a query on the incidents of harassment to women during Dasara Open Street Festival at K.R. Boulevard, the DC said this time, the District Administration has taken safety and precautionary measures for the Art Festival and Organic Fair.

There will be only one entry and one exit point unlike multiple entry and exit points provided during the Dasara Open Street Festival. Such incidents will not happen this year, the DC assured. He added that the Mysore Palace Board will illuminate the Mysore Palace between 7 pm and 9 pm on all the 10 days, of the Winter Festival, he added.

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