Summer Festival features an enthralling celebration in the Nilgiri Mountains of India every year in the month of May. Tamil Nadu Department of Tourism and the National Ministry of Tourism jointly organize the festival which includes enticing events like Boat Pageantry, Boat Race, Vegetable Show, Spice Show, Fruit Show, Dog Show, Rose Show and Flower Show. Engrossing competitions are also held in the festival. The events are held at different places of Tamil Nadu.
Cultural Programmes of Summer Festival
Numerous delightful cultural programmes form the prime attraction of Summer Festival which are mainly arranged at Breeks HADP open air stadium, Ooty. Music, dance and drama, with a special emphasis on the classical arts of the country, are major programmes of the festival.
Flower Show in Summer Festival
Flower show, another enticing feature of Summer Festival is organized at the Botanical Garden of Ooty in the third week of May. Over 150 varieties of flowers are displayed by about two hundred fifty exhibitors. The year 1896 marked the first flower show in the garden.
Rose Show in Summer Festival
Rose show is held during the second week of May and the Government Rose Garden in Ooty forms its exquisite venue. Rose petal rangolis and rose towers made of thousands of roses are the main highlights of the show. More than 3000 species of roses are sheltered in the garden creating a mesmerizing view.
Fruit Show in Summer Festival
Fruit show is held for two days in the last week of May in the famous Sim`s Park, Coonoor. The Department of Horticulture organizes the event and it is being held annually for the last 53 years. The show attracts around 25,000 people from distant regions.
Dog Show in Summer Festival
An exquisite Dog show also forms a part of Summer Festival. It is held at the Government Arts College ground in Ooty and is organized by South of India Kennel Club (SIKC).
Spice Show in Summer Festival
The Spice Show continues for two days and is conducted at Saint Thomas Higher Secondary School in Gudalur, Nilgiris. Departments of Horticulture and Tourism at Gudalur and the District Administration organize the event. It was first held in the year 2010.
Vegetable Show in Summer Festival
Vegetable show is organized at Nehru Park in Kotagiri by the Department of Horticulture. It allures around 16,000 visitors. The prime attraction of the show is formed by the map of India composed with green, yellow and red capsicums.
Boat Race and Boat Pageantry in Summer Festival
The beautiful Ooty Lake serves as the venue for the boat race and pageantry. The event continues for two days.
Other Events of Summer Festival
In addition to these, a number of other fascinating events are also conducted in the Summer Festival including market show, marathon race, vintage car rally, eco-trekking programs, amateur photo competition and painting exhibition, tour of heritage buildings and hot air balloon show.
