PURI BEACH FESTIVAL

The 'Beach Festival' of Puri is organised by Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (Orissa) (HRAO), co-supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, the Department of Tourism, Government of Odisha (Orissa), Development Commissioner of Handicrafts and the Eastern Zonal Cultural Center, Calcutta. Puri Beach Festival is an annual celeberation that takes place in the month of November for about five days. A number of exhibitions, fashion shows, sports activities, and more take place during this festival. It is a festival which is all about fun, happiness and colours.

Puri Beach festival unravel the majestic grandeur of divergent art, craft & culture from different states, particularly the ethnic pristine splendor of Odishan glorious culture heritage amidst the exotic ambience on the golden pastures of the Bay of Bengal. Top performers from other states have been invited to present their rich talents. That performance could see by the foreign and domestic tourists to attract them to visit again and again. The basic idea of Puri Beach festival is to present the art, crafts, culture, cuisine and tourism potential of the state on a single platform and to attract world focus on it. Further the motive is to promote Odisha in and outside of the country.

Besides some sports events, the other major attraction is the culture based programme. Since Odisha is a place with varied culture, the different traditional functions emphasising its culture are displayed in its wide form. Representatives from different part of the state participates and perform their own cultural theme which includes dance, song, orchestra etc. in a lively way. The great oddissi dance projecting the saga of widely accepted Ramayana, Mahabharat, Dasavatara, Prahallad Badha etc. are performed by different established group in dance form. The marital art of Mayurbhanj is displayed in Chau nurtya. The paikas of Khurda who are known in the pages of history for their valour, are also reflected in the dance form by the traditional paikas as Paika nrutya. In addition to this, members from other part of the country & foreign as well takes part to show their cultural ability.

The major attraction which is exclusive is the 'Sand Art'. Sand art is a new concept which is carved out from heap of sand. The different monumental structure of ancient India, are projected in sands. The famous picture of Alasa Kanya or the tiresome lady which is found over the walls of ancient temples like konark, Jagannath temple is well shown in the sands.

The HRAO has taken step of presenting this festival to attract not only foreigners, but also a huge domestic tourists traffic who would be eager to come to this state on one platform. They would be able to enjoy our rich cultural heritage, handicrafts, handloom, cottage industries, and the lack of memories and moments that would be ever lasting in the minds of the tourists who visit Odisha during the festival. HRAO: The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha may be just about over one and half decade old, being born in 1984, but in its short life it has contributed in a most significant manner to the growth of the hospitality industry in Odisha. The growth of the HRAO is an index of the expansion of the hotel industry in Odisha. Today, there are almost 200 members of the Association and the membership is growing. HRAO was formed basically to help the members in running a smooth and successful business and to promote tourism in Odisha.