Sri Vijaya Puram, July 19: The second day of the three-day Island Monsoon Food and Culture Festival 2026 drew large gatherings of Islanders and tourists at the ITF Ground, with regional cuisines, traditional performances and community participation taking centre stage as the Tourism Department continued its efforts to promote the Islands’ multicultural identity and tourism potential.
Organised by the Department of Tourism, Andaman and Nicobar Administration, in collaboration with various line departments, the festival brought together communities from different parts of the country, offering visitors an opportunity to experience diverse culinary traditions and cultural heritage that have evolved across the Islands. The event forms part of the Tourism Calendar of Fairs and Festivals and continues daily from 5 pm to 9 pm.
The festival featured regional food stalls operated by local entrepreneurs, Self Help Groups, community organisations and cultural associations, presenting authentic cuisines from different regions of India. The event provided visitors with an opportunity to explore a wide variety of traditional dishes while highlighting the cultural diversity that characterises the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Alongside the food stalls, a series of cultural performances remained one of the main attractions of the evening. The programme opened with a performance by Anuradha Ganeshan and the team from KRG Kalai Kaveri School. This was followed by a dance presentation by Vijay Bahadur and the team from Dance Nritya Academy, who performed before the gathering at the venue.
One of the major highlights of the evening was the Karen Community Bamboo Dance, which attracted significant public attention. Performers dressed in traditional attire presented the community’s bamboo dance, synchronising rhythmic movements with bamboo poles in a display reflecting the artistic traditions and cultural heritage of the Karen community. The performance received an enthusiastic response from the audience.
Adding to the cultural programme, officers and officials of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration presented a musical performance featuring Hindi film songs, contributing to the evening’s entertainment and community participation.
The festival has been positioned as a platform to celebrate the multicultural character of the Islands through food, music and traditional art forms. By bringing together participants representing different communities, the event highlights the coexistence of diverse cultural practices and culinary traditions that have become part of the Islands’ social fabric.
The Department of Tourism has invited Islanders and tourists to participate in the concluding day of the festival on July 19. Visitors will have another opportunity to experience regional cuisines, cultural performances and community events before the three-day festival concludes.
According to the schedule released by the Department, the final day’s cultural programme at the ITF Ground will begin at 5:30 pm with solo and group classical dance performances by Natyanjali Classical Dance Academy, Atlanta Point, led by Akhanya Sujith and team. This will be followed by “Suron Ka Safar” by Andaman Mahila Mandal under MY Bharat from 5:40 pm to 6:40 pm, the Karen Community traditional dance from 6:40 pm to 7:00 pm, an Odissi dance performance from 7:00 pm to 7:10 pm, and live performances by Kalapani Band from 7:10 pm to 9:00 pm, marking the conclusion of the Island Monsoon Food and Culture Festival 2026.
