Bhubaneswar to host second edition of ‘Dot Fest’ from Jan 15 to 29

The second edition of ‘Dot Fest’, a festival of music, dance, food and story-telling, will be organized in the Odisha capital Bhubaneshwar from January 15 to 29.

It will have Bollywood celebrities and international storytellers performing.

The festival will coincide with the 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup that will be held in Bhubaneshwar and Rourkela in Odisha from January 13 to 29.

Also read: Hockey World Cup: Odisha rolls out the turf, with an eye on future

Bhubaneshwar Mayor Sulochana Das said” “The ‘Dot FEST’ is the city festival of Bhubaneswar where citizens will celebrate with music, food, trails, exhibitions and much more.”

‘Dot Fest’ will be extravagant

Balwant Singh, IAS, Vice Chairman, Bhaubaneshwar Development Authority (BDA), stated: “‘Dot FEST’ this year is going to be extravagant as it will bring millions together to cherish the cultural tenacity of Odisha and allow local artists, start-ups, performers, makers and creators to get an extraordinary platform to showcase their talent.

“The idea is to make the festival one of the best in the world and bring it to the global tourism map,” Singh said.

Six major festivals

Six major festivals and events such as Bhubaneswar live, international food festival, story-telling festival BhuFesto, Ekamra walks, night flea market and a ‘Sebe-O-Ebe’ photo exhibition will be organized as part of the fest, said Das.

The Bhubaneswar live show will be held at the Idco exhibition ground from 7 pm to 10 pm every day and will see Bollywood celebrities, playback singers and Odisha’s own singing stars.

The opening show on January 15 will include performances from K-pop band Blackswan, singer Guru Randhawa and actress Disha Patani. The last day will have performances by choreographers Shiamak Davar and Salman Yousuf.

Music superstars like Harshdeep Kaur, Neeti Mohan and Amit Trivedi will perform contemporary, classical and Sufi music. Audiences will get to witness Pandit Haraprasad Chaurasia and Ustad Taufiq Qureshi on January 19.

Also read: FIH Odisha Hockey World Cup 2023: Tickets sold out in Rourkela

Stand-up comedians Sunil Grover and Shilpa Rao will make people laugh their blues away on January 20.

The international food festival will also be organized from January 15 to 29 at the Idco exhibition ground from 6 pm. It will feature cuisines from 16 countries and popular dishes from Odisha and other parts of India.

The story-telling festival, BhuFesto, will take place on January 14 and 17 at IG Park, Buddha Jayanti Park, APJ Abdul Kalam Park and Kalabhoomi from 2.30 pm to 7.30 pm.

BDA will set up a night flea market from January 15 to 29 at Ekamra Haat where vendors will have local and indigenous products on display.