President Mukherjee to open 'Festa De Diu' on Dec 1

AHMEDABAD: The much awaited International festival at union territory of Diu is set to be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee on December 1 in Diu with a performance by Shubha Mudgal. The union territory administration of Daman & Diu in conjunction with Ferriswheel Entertainment Pvt Ltd (FEPL) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is organizing ‘Festa De Diu 2015’ from December 1, 2015 to February 15, 2016 in Diu.
The festival touted to be Asia’s longest beach festival is part of a national publicity campaign launched recently to promote Diu as a favored tourist destination.
“The idea was to portray Diu as a destination beyond heritage and sea. Connectivity was an issue which has been resolved to an extent after Air India started 4-days a week flight from Mumbai to Diu,” said Ashish Kundra, Administrator, UT of Daman, Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
Kundra further added, “Besides president, union cabinet ministers Rajnath Singh and Maneka Gandhi have agreed in principle to visit Diu during the festival once the parliament session is over. Kiren Rijiju, union minister of state for home affairs will pay visit on December 5-6. Last year Diu attracted around 17 lakh tourists. Now, with this initiative, we are hoping to attract at least 35 lakh tourists this calender year.”
“The event that will be demarcated under four zones- Cave, Beach, Diu Fort and Amphitheatre. The event will be divided into 12 weekends over 77 days with each artist performing on every artist weekend,” said Shubhra Bhardwaj, founder and creative director, FEPL.
Festa De Diu shall comprise of various elements like 60 luxury beach tents, Spas, 5 star category restaurants, adventure sports like Bungee Jumping, Zip Lining, Hot Air Balloon etc., community outreach workshops, carnival, Jam sessions, concerts, fashion shows and much more.