Kothamangalam will host a month-long tourism festival from December 5 to January 5, with the programme centred on Bhoothathankettu and supported by new visitor facilities and a ₹1 crore upgrade plan for the Bhoothathankettu garden.
The festival is being organised to connect several tourism destinations in and around Kothamangalam as part of the Christmas and New Year celebrations. The stated aim is to attract visitors from across Kerala and make greater use of the region’s tourism potential.
Ernakulam District Collector G. Priyanka visited Bhoothathankettu to review preparations and plan the activities associated with the festival. The opening ceremony will be held at Bhoothathankettu on December 5 and will be conducted by Tourism Minister P.C. Vishnunath. The event will be chaired by Shibu Thekkumpuram, MLA.
As part of the celebrations, organisers plan to provide decorative lighting at the Bhoothathankettu dam along with boating, kayaking and helicopter rides. These activities are intended to expand the visitor experience at one of Kothamangalam’s established tourism locations during the peak Christmas and New Year period.
The Bhoothathankettu garden will also undergo renovation and expansion. The authorities have decided to allocate ₹1 crore for the work, with ₹50 lakh expected from Tourism and Irrigation funds and another ₹50 lakh from the MLA’s fund. The garden’s development works will be extended to the next stage under the plan.
The funding structure places the proposed upgrade across multiple public institutions rather than relying on a single department. The Bhoothathankettu area is linked to irrigation infrastructure, while the planned visitor amenities and garden works fall within the broader tourism development programme. The project’s implementation will therefore involve coordination between tourism and irrigation officials, local government representatives and the elected constituency office.
Officials and local representatives who attended the preparatory meeting included P.V.I.P. Executive Engineer Baiju C.V., Pindimana grama panchayat president K.P. Georgikutty, district panchayat member Jomy Thekkekara and P.V.I.P. Assistant Executive Engineer Jordi V.G., according to the report.
The festival will run for one month, but the available announcement does not provide a detailed schedule for individual programmes, visitor numbers, operating arrangements for the adventure activities or traffic and safety plans for the venue. Further implementation details are expected as preparations continue ahead of the December 5 opening.
