Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct. 7: Local cultural associations and organisations across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands can apply to perform at the Island Tourism Festival (ITF) 2026, with the Art & Culture Department inviting entries for cultural programmes to be staged at venues across the islands.
The Island Tourism Festival will be organised by the Tourism Department, Andaman and Nicobar Administration, from December 27 to 31, 2026. As part of the festival, the Art & Culture Department will present cultural programmes at various designated venues.
Interested groups must submit details of at least four to six cultural programmes for consideration by the Programme Selection Committee. Each dance performance must run for at least 30 minutes, while singing performances must have a duration of 45 minutes to one hour per occasion.
The department has stipulated that participating artists must be at least eight years old. Each group must have a minimum of eight and a maximum of 15 members for a venue. Applicants must also submit a self-certificate confirming their willingness to perform at any designated venue allotted by the department during the festival.
The application deadline is 4 pm on November 6, 2026. Applications can be submitted in person at the Directorate of Art & Culture, Cellular Jail Complex, Atlanta Point, Sri Vijaya Puram, or emailed to artand.culture@and.nic.in.
The prescribed application form, listed as Annexure-I, along with the self-certificate format, can be obtained from the official websites of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration and the Art & Culture Department.
The selection process will include rehearsals before the Programme Selection Committee. Dance groups will appear for selection on November 11 and 12, while singing groups will be assessed on November 13. The rehearsals will take place at Andaman Club from 2 pm to 7 pm on the respective dates.
The department has invited a broad range of cultural presentations, including classical, semi-classical, traditional and folk dances, as well as associated musical forms such as bhajans, qawwalis and folk songs representing different states.
Applicants must appear before the Selection Committee on the specified date and time to present their performances. Once a programme has been selected, any change in its date, time or venue will remain at the discretion of the department.
Groups that fail to comply with the requirements may lose their participation in the ITF cultural programmes. The department may also take such non-compliance into account while considering participation in future programmes.
For queries, interested organisations can contact 03192-234775 during working hours.
