Nilgiris summer festival season to begin from May 6, annual flower show from May 19 to 23

The summer festival in the Nilgiris is set to kick off on May 6 this year, with the 10th annual vegetable show in Kotagiri. The season’s marquee event, the 125th annual Flower Show is set to take place from May 19 till May 23, announced district collector, S.P.Amrith, on Wednesday, March 29

The summer festival in the Nilgiris is set to kick off on May 6 this year, with the 10th annual vegetable show in Kotagiri. The season’s marquee event, the 125 th annual Flower Show is set to take place from May 19 till May 23, announced district collector, S.P.Amrith, on Wednesday.

The vegetable show is scheduled to take place on May 6 and 7 in Kotagiri. The event will be followed by the 10 th annual Spice Show in Gudalur, scheduled to take place from May 12 to 14, while the 18 th annual Rose Show at the Government Rose Garden in Udhagamandalam will take place from May 13 to May 15. The Rose Show will be followed by the 125 th annual Flower Show. Set to be the main draw of the summer festival, officials from the horticulture department said that preparations for the successful staging of the flower show have been ongoing for the past few months.

The summer festival will close with the 62 nd annual Fruit Show in the Sims Park in Coonoor, to be held on May 27 and 28.

On Wednesday, a meeting was held at the additional collectorate building in Udhagamandalam which was attended by officials from the Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, the Nilgiris Collector S.P. Amrith and top officials from the Revenue and Police department. R. Brindha Devi, Director of the Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops was also consulted before the dates for the summer festival were announced.   

In a press release, the district administration stated they expected lakhs of visitors to the Nilgiris during the festival season. The Collector said that preparations were on in full swing, to ensure the successful staging of the various shows during the month of May.

When asked about the ongoing protests by workers employed by the Horticulture Department in the parks and gardens across the Nilgiris demanding a change in pay-scale and to regularize long-time daily wage workers, and whether the protests could impact the preparations for the summer festival, Mr. Amrith said the government was continuing to have dialogues with the workers. “We hope to reach a compromise with the protesting workers soon,” he said,, adding that he expected no disruptions to the festival preparations.