Cherry Blossom Festival in Meghalaya
The India International cherry blossom festival will be held in Meghalaya this November
The Indian edition of the International Cherry Blossom Festival will be held in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya for the second time in a row.
It is that time of the year again! The second edition of India International Cherry Blossom Festival is here and is scheduled between November 8- 11. No need to fly to the U.S. or Japan, Meghalaya government has made it possible for all the enthusiasts to witness this extra ordinary festival in India itself.
The cherry blossom festival will be held in various locations of Shillong. The organisers of the four days event have lined up several activities for all the visitors. There will be guided night walks under illuminated cherry blossoms, live musical events, a beauty pageant, dance performances, photography competitions, bicycle rallies, storytelling sessions of local and world folktales , a women’s exhibition football match and a local golf cup.
Come and feast on the Autumn Cherry Blossoms in Shillong . We celebrate these autumn blooms with rock shows, food, wine. November 8-11, 2017 pic.twitter.com/m3iYCQEEPD
— CherryBlossFestINDIA (@india_cbfest) September 26, 2017
The world’s only Autumn Cherry Blossom Festival is being organised by the Meghalaya Government in association with the Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), A National Institute of Department of Biotechnology, and the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.
This year’s festival will be build on the success of last year’s festival. “Last year, nearly 30,000 tourists, mostly domestic, participated in the festival. This year, we are expecting a total of 50,000 foreign and domestic tourists,” said Chief Minister Mukul M Sangma.
The four days event will attracts tourists in large numbers, thus it is being expected that the festival will generate a lot of employment opportunities for the local population and revenue for the betterment of the state’s economy. It has been noted that in Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival generated about USD 126 Million every year by drawing in huge numbers of tourists.
Prof Dinabandhu Sahoo, Director of IBSD, said, “This festival will not only bring socio-economic development of the region but will also promote Peace, Prosperity and Sustainable Development, which is one of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.”
Meghalaya is itself an attractive tourist destination and the state government may use this opportunity to promote state’s tourism. Apart from the cherry trees, one can try regional cuisine and also explore art and culture of the place.
The event saw its origin in India in 2015, when ISBD along with the Meghalaya government decided to plant cherry trees in different locations of Meghalaya such as New Shillong, Mawphlang and Ward’s Lake.
Japan which is known for its cherry blossom festival also supported the new initiative by sending its delegate to participate in cherry trees planting in Talkatora garden of New Delhi. Similar initiative is being planned in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
