Odisha Festival will be organized from 4^th July to showcase the cultural heritage of Odisha. The festival will be coinciding with the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath. This begins from the day when he begins his sojourn till the day he comes back to his home. A press meet was organized to announce this event.

This festival is organized by the organization Utkala. Like every other year, Utkala Samman will be conferred on renowned artist Sri Jagannath Panda.

Rath Yatra Road Show will be organized on 4^th July. Conchshell and Ranapa dance troupes from Berhampur, Odisha and Ghumura folk dance troupes from Bhawanipatna will be gracing the occasion. The chariots will be pulled from Central Park Salt Lake to Swabhumi where the deities will stay till the 12^th.

Some of the esteemed personalities who will be performing at the festival include Bickram Ghosh, Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya, Shantilata Barik, Subhas Das and others. Mouth watering dishes and handicrafts from Odisha will also be available.

To encourage kids, a devotional song competition and classical dance competition will be held on 6^th, 7^th and 8^th July. To showcase the skills in traditional cuisine, Khiri Pitha competition will be organized on 7^th July.

The Odisha Festival will begin from 5^th July and continue till 11^th July, 2019.

Priyanka Dutta