Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Tourism Department’s State-level Onam week celebrations will be held across 35 venues in Thiruvananthapuram from August 24 to 30, Tourism, Culture and Cinema Minister P C Vishnunath said. Chief Minister V D Satheesan will inaugurate the celebrations on August 24, while Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan will attend the closing ceremony.

The celebrations will showcase Kerala’s cultural diversity, traditions, artistic heritage and tourism potential, with more than 340 programmes planned across the capital. Around 3,000 artists will participate in the city, while more than 8,000 artists are expected to take part in programmes across the State.

A trade fair and exhibition will be held at Kanakakkunnu from August 21. On August 23, a flag procession will begin from Kovalam and conclude at Kanakakkunnu, where the Onam flag will be hoisted, and the city illumination switched on. A food festival and payasam competition will also be held.

The State-level inauguration will take place at Nishagandhi Auditorium on August 24, with actor Kunchacko Boban as the chief guest. Padma Bhushan awardee Shobana will present a special dance performance at 5.30 pm. Fourteen media organisations will collaborate with the government to organise programmes at Nishagandhi, Central Stadium and Poojappura. Singers and musicians including Unni Menon, Harishankar, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Harish Sivaramakrishnan, Suraj Santhosh, Nithya Mammen, Vaikom Vijayalakshmi and Manjari will perform during the celebrations.

The Onam procession on August 30 will begin from Manaveeyam Veedhi at 5 pm and conclude at East Fort. Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan will be the chief guest and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar the guest of honour. Representatives of 62 government departments will participate, with more than 100 art forms, including folk traditions from different States, featured in the procession. Special viewing pavilions will be arranged for VVIPs, VIPs, judges and foreign tourists.

Nishagandhi will host performances such as Mudiyettu, Tholpavakoothu, Padayani, Arjunanritham, Poothanum Thirayum and folklore fusion every evening from August 25 to 30. Kanakakkunnu will be divided into four zones — Business, Future, Art and Culture, and Food — offering interactive and experiential programmes. Live sessions will introduce visitors to traditional art forms, including Tholpavakoothu, Kathakali makeup and Chendamelam. Kovalam has also been added as a new venue this year.

The city will be illuminated from Kowdiar to Attakulangara and from Sasthamangalam to Vellayambalam. Special seating, volunteer support, police aid posts and QR-code facilities will be provided for visitors at Nishagandhi. A 24-hour media centre will function at Kanakakkunnu, while elaborate security, parking and traffic arrangements will be put in place. The celebrations will follow the Green Protocol in coordination with the Suchitwa Mission and Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.

A special Kerala Police stall at Kanakakkunnu will showcase police services, public-oriented initiatives and awareness programmes. It will feature Operation Toofan — The Narco Hunt, the K9 Squad, Mounted Police Unit, police weapons and the Fingerprint Bureau, along with cyber fraud awareness and online services such as Pol-App, Pol-Blood and Thuna Portal. Community policing initiatives, including the Student Police Cadet, School Protection Group, HOPE, Chiri, D-DAD and Nirbhaya Nisha, will also be featured. The stall will host a live self-defence demonstration by the women's self-defence team and traffic awareness programmes.