Coimbatore: The 17th edition of the Coimbatore Festival begins today. With more than a hundred events taking place in various parts of the city on the occasion of the festival, the city itself has turned into a celebratory mood. ‘Coimbatore Festival’ is celebrated annually to showcase the rich heritage and culture of Coimbatore. Its 17th edition begins today and will continue for 9 days till December 1.

The opening ceremony of the festival will begin at 5:00 pm today at the Kodisia ground. The highlight of the opening ceremony will be a musical performance featuring singer Jonita.

In this regard, an exhibition and parade of more than 50 vintage cars will be held at the Racecourse at 9:30 am today. The cars will be parked for the exhibition at the ‘Lakshmi Mills Urban Center’ premises. Starting with a yoga yatra at 6:00 am, a bird and butterfly walk at 7:00 am, there will be a lot of activities throughout the day, such as children’s football, painting competitions, volleyball competitions, and a Kongu food festival. Tomorrow evening, more than 12 events will be held, including a musical concert at Periyakulam, a cultural parade on Crosscut Road, and more. In the run-up to the Coimbatore festival, nine days and 13 very important grand events and about 200 other events are being held. Music concerts, art street, food festivals, sports competitions, talent shows, and horse racing have been planned so that people from any part of the city can participate in any event, and there is no shortage of celebrations.

The much-awaited double-decker buses will be there this year too at the Coimbatore festival. Two double-decker buses will be operated from the VOC Park. Reservations are required to travel in these.

Let’s run a marathon!
Tomorrow morning, at 5:00 am, a marathon will be held at the Nehru Stadium near VOC Park. The marathon will be held under the theme of ‘No to Drugs’. Participants will take a pledge against drugs. They can participate in the 2.5 km, family run, 2.5 km, walkathon, 5 km, 10 km, or 15 km, timed run. The winners will be given a cash prize of Rs. 3.5 lakh. The marathon is jointly sponsored by ‘Dinamalar’ daily newspaper. For more details, you can contact 96005 74888.