Bhubaneswar: The 61st edition of the prestigious Femina Miss India 2026 Grand Finale will be held at KIIT University Saturday, marking a landmark moment for Odisha as the state hosts one of the country’s biggest beauty pageants for the first time. The grand finale is scheduled to begin at 5.30 PM on the KIIT Campus 13 Cricket Stadium, where celebrities from the entertainment and fashion world are expected to remain present.
Among the prominent guests likely to be in attendance are Zeenat Aman, Madhur Bhandarkar, Terrance Lewis, Amaal Mallik, Celina Jaitly, Dutee Chand and Vartika Singh. Thirty state winners from across the country, who qualified for the national finale, have been staying at the KIIT campus since their arrival earlier this week. They were accorded a warm welcome and felicitated in the presence of Dr Achyuta Samanta, who has extended active support for hosting the event in collaboration with the Odisha Tourism Department.
Hosting the pageant at a university campus is being seen as a historic milestone, with KIIT becoming the first university in eastern India to stage the event. During their stay in Odisha, the contestants have been introduced to the state’s rich heritage, cuisine and traditions. They celebrated the Odia New Year at the KIIT campus, wearing traditional patta silk sarees and enjoyed authentic Odia dishes along with the iconic Chhena Poda.
The contestants also visited Puri, Konark Sun Temple, Chandrabhaga Beach and Mukteswar Temple as part of a special cultural outreach programme aimed at showcasing Odisha’s tourism potential before a national audience. The event is expected to draw significant attention to Bhubaneswar and further strengthen the city’s emergence as a major destination for national-scale cultural and entertainment events.
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