Kerala School Kalolsavam heads for nail-biting finish; Mohanlal to grace closing ceremony today

Thrissur: This year’s Kerala State School Youth Festival (School Kalolsavam 2025–26), which will conclude on Sunday evening, is heading for a photo finish, with little to separate the top three contenders for the gold cup awarded to the overall winners. As per the results declared on Saturday, Kannur is placed at the top with 965 points, followed by hosts Thrissur (960 points) and Palakkad (957 points).

Stage 1, facing the Paramekkavu Temple at Thekkinkadu Maidan, will host the valedictory function at 4 pm. Leader of the Opposition, V D Satheesan, will inaugurate the event, which will be presided over by Revenue Minister K Rajan. The gold cup will be presented jointly by renowned actor Mohanlal and Minister for General Education V Sivankutty.

A close contest was witnessed during last year’s Kalolsavam as well, and Thrissur had won the trophy for overall champions by the narrowest margin of a single point. This year, in order to retain the trophy, Thrissur has to not only overtake Kannur on the final day but also ward off the challenge posed by Palakkad.

The venues of the Kalolsavam, which were filled to capacity on Saturday, are expected to attract even bigger crowds on the final day. Meanwhile, the police have made elaborate security arrangements for the valedictory function, which will be attended by legendary actor Mohanlal, among other celebrities and dignitaries.

At last year’s Kalolsavam, Palakkad had finished with 1007 points, and Thrissur won the gold cup by earning an ‘A’ grade in the final event, triple jazz, and securing 1008 points. The entire district of Thrissur erupted in celebrations as it won the trophy after a long interval of 26 years.

A similar neck-and-neck race is taking place this year as well among the top five districts — Kannur, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kozhikode and Kollam. With just eight events remaining, every point scored on the final day will prove crucial in deciding the winner.