By IANS
Chandigarh : Colourful roses will be in full bloom at Chandigarh’s 36th annual rose festival, which begins Friday.
The Rose Garden, located in Sector 16 here, is the largest of its kind in Asia. The garden, also called Zakir Rose garden, is named after the late president Zakir Hussain.
The three-day festival attracts thousands of visitors from the city and adjoining states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Scores of tourists from other parts of the country and foreign lands come to see the festival.
The festival showcases some of the best and biggest displays of roses.
“The festival was initiated as a means to encourage people to visit the gardens at this time of the year when roses are in full bloom. It has since grown into a much bigger event that now includes cultural performances, live music and dance exhibitions,” a spokesman of the Chandigarh administration said Thursday.
The festival features several events, including folk dances, singing competitions, photography competition, rose quiz competition, street plays and on the spot painting competition.
A major attraction of the festival this year will be the display of vintage cars. The car show is being added top the festival for the first time. The exhibition will be held at the Government Museum and Art Gallery near the garden.
Nearly 250,000 people are expected to attend the festival this year.
The administration has already de-commercialised the festival by not allowing retail stalls for the last three years, the spokesman said.
Food stalls, however, will be allowed at the Leisure Valley, across the Rose Garden.
Renowned singer Sunidhi Chauhan and others will perform during the festival.