Bollywood singing sensation Neha Kakkar is all set to steal the show with her unusual yet powerful renditions during the annual Gopalpur Beach Festival this year.
Gopalpur MLA and chairman of the festival committee Pradeep Kumar Panigrahi confirmed the news on Wednesday.
The decision was taken at the first preparatory meeting for the much-awaited festival held at the conference hall of the Ganjam district Collectorate at Chhatrapur.
To be held at the seaside resort, Gopalpur-on-Sea, 10 km from here, the five-day long cultural extravaganza will be held from December 24 to 28.
Panigrahi further informed that they have asked district-level officials of various departments including police, fire, health, tourism, transport and others to submit a report on the preparations to Collector on December 12 as the next meeting is scheduled for December 17.
“The total budget for this year’s festival will be decided only after the second meeting at the Gopalpur Circuit House,” he added.
A series of events, including cultural shows, Charukala (fine arts), Pallishree Mela, handloom and craft fair, trade fair, food festival are lined up for the mega festival.
The beach festival is being organised by the Ganjam District Hoteliers’ Association (GDHA) with help from the district administration and police. The event is aimed at attracting tourists to the serene Gopalpur beach resort.
The State Tourism Department has also included the five-day period in December as the time for the beach festival in the tourism calendar of Odisha.