Come April, sand sculptures and paintings will adorn the picturesque Alappuzha beach. An international sand art competition, titled Sand Art Festival Alleppey (SAFA), is being jointly organised by the Tourism Department and the SAFA Foundation from April 18 to 26.
The logo of the art festival was launched by K.C. Venugopal, MP, at a function held here on Saturday. According to Mr. Venugopal, the festival will feature a competition for professional sand artists. A total of 10 teams, including two foreign teams, will be selected for the competition among the applicants.
District Collector N. Padmakumar said the sand art festival had immense potential to boost tourism in the district. He added that the event would pave way for Kerala to become only the second State to organise similar competitions. Orissa has been hosting the international sand art festival on the shores of the Bay of Bengal since 2011. According to the organisers, renowned sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik will lead the festival in Alappuzha.
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Besides, a painting art gallery, sand art workshop and consumer exhibition are also expected to be organised during the course of the 9-day festival. Helicopter ride and bike stunt facilities will also be arranged as part of the event. Over 2 lakh visitors are expected by the organisers to throng the beach on the days of the event.
Alappuzha municipal chairperson Mercy Diana Macido, District Tourism Promotion Council secretary C. Pradeep and noted sculptor Valsan Koorma Kolleri were among those who were present on the occasion.