International Arts Festival is organized every year by Prasiddha Foundation, which is headed by Pratibha Prahlad, who is a cultural visionary and Bharatnatyam exponent, and by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

Several multi-cultural and multi-art events are the chief attraction of this Festival, which is labeled as the “Signature Festival” of India. Endeavors are on to place the Festival on the global map to attract artists, connoisseurs, writers, and tourists from across the world and make the Festival a platform for cultural diplomacy.

The first edition of the Festival took place in December 2007. It was celebrated for 17 days. The following year, the Festival was celebrated as a group of smaller events spanning over 24 days.

In October 2009, the International Arts Festival celebrated “Countdown to the Commonwealth Games 2010.” It was a 12-day festival, playing host to about 2000 artists and spread over 50 venues across Delhi city.

Time of Festival

The 9th International Arts Festival in Delhi is scheduled to be held from October 16 to November 1, 2015.

Significance

The 9th International Arts Festival is expected to see the participation of 30 countries, which include Pakistan, Bangladesh, Greece, Hungary, Czech/Poland, Turkey/Iran, and, of course, India.

The Festival will display various art and cultural forms with a mix of Indian and Western, conventional and contemporary forms of performances and events. The Festival will see activities like music, dance, puppet and magic shows, theater, exhibitions, literature, cinema, visual arts, and more across Delhi and NCR.

The International Arts Festival has given Delhi a rich artistic image. The Festival is an effort to make the local people sensitive and more involved in the multi-dimensional aspect of art from across the nation and the world. The Festival exudes a strong cultural energy.

Facts

Usually, the International Arts Festival of Delhi is sprawled across multiple locations across the city and even the NCR. Plenty of performances and events keep happening in the evenings during the Festival, which opens and ends with a gala event.

How to Reach

The International Arts Festival events take place at various places across Delhi city. A few examples are Connaught Place, Lodhi Road, India Habitat Center, and more. Delhi is a well-connected city. Visitors can easily get local buses, cabs, metro trains, and autorickshaws to reach the various venues of the Festival.