With the season for pink blooms drawing close, Meghalaya Tourism announced the return of the famed Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival. Known to be a celebration of nature, music, fashion, culture, and literature, there is an impressive lineup of homegrown as well as international artists performing this year. Here’s all about it. By Eshita Srinivas
Dubbed the “most happening,” in the region, the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival draws a throng of tourists and locals alike. This year – Meghalaya’s Chief Minister Conrad Sangma stated – celebrations will take off from November 17 and go on until November 26. On offer are a range of entertainment opportunities, with impressive lineups, competitions, art shows, and more.
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Not to mention, the picturesque sight of the city turning pink as cherry blossoms take centre stage. Believed to be second only to Japan’s cherry blossom festival in terms of beauty and popularity – the 2022 itinerary will propel the festival to the top of all travel bucket lists.
Tickets are selling out quickly for the Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival
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The event’s official website has been sharing the line up and selling tickets for the same. Celebrations will begin with pre-festival events – ‘Road To Cherry Blossom’ – which is a multi-city affair spread across Thailand, India, and Malaysia. This will take place from October 15 to 29, Guwahati Times reports. Following close is the Mega Music Contest (November 17 to 19) and the Shillong Literary Festival (November 21 to 23). This will culminate in the main event, which will take place from November 24 to 26.
Our Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri. @SangmaConrad announced the Meghalaya Autumn Calendar 2022 at a Press Conference on Wednesday (August 24, 2022) at the Yojana Bhavan, Main Secretariat Building.
This calendar contains all the upcoming events for the rest of the year. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/XqduubCs7I— Meghalaya Tourism (@meghtourism) August 24, 2022
On the itinerary, as per a report by The Sentinel, are singing competitions, cosplay, a fashion show, local winemaking, and the Mr, Miss, and Mrs Shillong Cherry Blossom pageant. India’s biggest music festival will also reportedly be held at the event, with a whooping INR 25 Lakh grand prize. Several food and beverage stalls – including wine, beer, and Japanese and Korean fare are worth looking forward to as well.
Shillong #CherryBlossomFestival 2021 bags 3 awards at @WOWAwardsAsia 2022. The categories include:
*Festival of the Year-Art/Culture/Lifestyle- GOLD
*Best Tourism Event– GOLD
*Concert of the year- SILVER@PMOIndia @kishanreddybjp @tourismgoi @meghtourism pic.twitter.com/PKriFwdQqN— Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) August 22, 2022
The headliners for the event this year include the famous band Magic, along with Jonas Blue and HRVY making it a must-visit event for audiophiles all across the country.
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The Shillong Cherry Blossom Festival was first introduced by Dr Sahoo, a professor at the Department of Botany, University of Delhi in November 2016. It soon caught steam amongst locals and tourists, attracting lakhs every year until it eventually evolved into an international affair. Most recently, it won three awards at the prestigious WOW Awards Asia – which recognises various important events in Asia and the Middle East. These include the titles of the Best Tourism Event (Gold), Festival of the Year (Gold), and Concert Of The Year (Silver).
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Papon, DJ Zethan, Nikhil Chinapa, HRVY and Jonas Blue are some of the coveted artists that will be playing at the venue.
For further information, visit the official website of the event here.
All images: Shutterstock
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