The night sky above Cherai will explode in a burst of colours on December 15.
An effort by restaurant, resort and small food joint owners in Cherai, the event is to train the spotlight on the beach-side town, which is still languishing in the shadows.
Though a number of resorts have come up in the area, Cherai hasn’t reached its full potential, says Eduardo Sucena de Sousa (known as Edy), founder of Chilliout Cafe and one of the main co-ordinators of the event.
“The idea is to promote Cherai not just among tourists, but also among the locals,” he says. When he, along with a few other local business owners, approached hotels and resorts in Cherai to discuss the event, the response they received was encouraging. “We even found support from a small chayakkada ,” says Edy.
The fireworks display would be held along a length of 5 km of the beach. “In an event like this, we cannot completely avoid noise and pollution, but we would take care to clean up the beach afterwards,” says Edy.
Those heading to Cherai to watch the fireworks can also grab delicious European food at Chilliout Cafe, which would also host a DJ evening.
DJ Akhil would spin out music fit for the evening.
Cherai as a place has always inspired him, says Edy, who left Paris in 2008. Since his arrival in Cherai, he felt the place had everything he needed. “It was Cherai that convinced me to stay back here in Kerala.”
A beach-side European café serving pizzas, burgers, sandwiches crepes and more, Chilliout has a kitchen run by an all-women group of homemakers who live in and around the cafe. Edy is the main chef.
“They had to be trained in the basics of European cooking; and now they do a great job of it. We bake our own breads,” says Edy.
While the fireworks would start between 7 and 7.30, the DJ and buffet at Chilliout would open at 5.30 pm. For information, contact 9744138387/8139863272
