"We are attempting to turn this into a peoples' festival with more involvement from the communities," says Robert G Lyngdoh, chairman of the Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum (MTDF), which is organizing the festival in collaboration with Meghalaya Tourism Department and The Times of India Group.
The festival will begin with the 'Shillong Street Carnival' involving localities, schools, colleges and cultural troupes from the eight North-Eastern states. The carnival will include a cultural and float parade themed 'Shillong' followed by a fete to conclude the carnival at the Shillong Club. "There will be attractive prize money for those who are able to impress the judges. All the localities of Shillong are invited to set up stalls at the fete at subsidized rates," said Lyngdoh. "The MTDF is keen on reviving the tradition of fetes in the city," he added.
On November 5 and 6, the festival will shift to Orchid Lake Resort at Umiam (Barapani). The festival will include entertainment in the form of adventure sports, fashion and music. "This year, the visitors will witness acro flights at Umiam by ace para-gliding pilots from France," said Larsing M Sawian, president of MTDF.
The North-East Cultural Extravaganza will showcase the famous Manipuri Krishna Ballet, Pong Cholam and Thang-ta martial arts. Other performances include the Hojaigiri dance from Tripura, Snow Lion dance from Sikkim and traditional games from Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Garo and Khasi drummers will also showcase their talent. A fashion show showcasing creations by eminent designers from the North-East including Bonney Darrang from Arunachal, Nandini from Assam, Daisy Momin from Tura and Keds from Nagaland will be held.
"The festival will also feature some unique performances by the North Central Zone Cultural Centre, featuring 103 dancers from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar," said Sawian. Prominent bands and musicians from the region and other parts of the country would entertain the visitors. The bands include Shaiir 'N' Funk, Raghu Dixit, and Reuben Mashangvaand besides the homegrown 4th Element, Streets Stories, Dossers Urge and others.
"All the states of the region will be represented in mega 'haats' constructed at the resort. Sunday, the penultimate day of the festival will be a 'family day' and no alcohol will be sold at the venue on that day," he informed.
"The festival will also be an epicurean experience as a variety of local brews and dishes will be available," one of the organizers said.