The five-day Ashtamudi Water Gate Music Festival will be held from October 7 to 11 at the Sree Narayana Guru Cultural Complex in Kollam, bringing live concerts, music films and performances by artistes from across India to a cultural venue the state government wants to make more vibrant.
The festival is being organised by the Kerala Department of Culture as part of the state government’s 100-day action programme, culture minister P C Vishnunadh said at a news conference on Tuesday. Music programmes will begin at 7pm each day, while films related to music will be screened from 2pm to 4pm.
Organised around the theme “Musical Ecology – Water”, the event is designed to connect Ashtamudi Lake’s landscape with Kollam’s cultural heritage and a range of musical traditions. The programme will feature Manganiyar Seduction, Indian Ocean, Hamsi & Band, Shanka Tribe and Araka Vyooham, according to the announcement.
The festival’s location at the Sree Narayana Guru Cultural Complex places the venue at the centre of the event’s public-space objective. The Department of Culture said the programme aims to strengthen the complex’s role as one of Kollam’s major cultural centres by bringing regular public activity to the facility.
The event will combine traditional and contemporary forms of music, with the organisers presenting it as a cultural experience that brings together the waters of Ashtamudi and the city’s diverse artistic traditions. The schedule is expected to offer residents and visitors both evening concerts and afternoon film screenings at the same venue.
The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy will organise the music-film screenings. Preparations are being carried out with the cooperation of the Department of Culture, the district administration, the Tourism Department and other government departments and institutions.
The announcement places the festival within a wider effort to use cultural programming to animate public institutions and connect Kollam’s natural and built assets. The state government has invited music lovers, artistes, cultural activists and members of the public to attend the festival, which will run through October 11.
