Konark: The eighth edition of International Sand Art Festival 2018 kicked off amid huge fervour in the pristine Chandrabhaga beach here Saturday. The Konark Dance Festival (KDF) was also hosted simultaneously at the Sun temple, also known as ‘The Black Pagoda’, which is at a distance of 4 km from the beach.
The event is scheduled to be hosted from December 1 to 5, 2018. The main theme of the art festival this year is the ongoing Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018. Apart from this, various other themes such as environment, cultural fairs and women empowerment would be espoused through the sand artworks. Sudarshan Patnaik was chosen as the brand ambassador and chief curator of the event.
As many as 30 artists from the country and ten from across the globe are participating in this competition-turned-festival. Ten of the best sand artists from Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, Norway, France, Spain, Mexico, USA and 20 from different states of the country graced the golden beach of Chandrabhaga to create their works of art.
The dance festival is conducted every year since 1986. Hosted in an open air auditorium which overlooks the famed Sun temple of Konark, the festival captivates visitors from far and wide in these five days. Besides being one of the greatest events of the state, the festival serves as a platform for Indian classical dancers to exhibit the cultural depth of the nation.
Leading exponents and dance enthusiasts of Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Kathakali, Kathak, Kuchipudi and Sattriya will participate in the five-day event. The second day of the dance festival was marked by Kathak dance performed by Yasmin Singh and group from Chhattisgarh and Odissi dance performed by Sharmila Biswas and group from Kolkata.
In addition to the dance and art festivals, a Crafts Mela is being conducted at the Urban Haat, Konark that exhibits and sells exquisite souvenirs and sculptures crafted by expert artisans of the region. The entire event will span from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on each of the five days of festival.
