A Balloon and Boat Festival kicked off in Varanasi on Jan 17. It is called Kashi Balloon & Boat Festival, and is quite a feast for the eyes.
It is a four-day-long hot-air balloon festival and began at Varanasi’s famous Dashashwamedh Ghat on Jan 17.
You can visit the festival and see the hot air balloons above Varanasi. The tickets for the rides, however, are all sold out it seems.
Photo: Twitter/@uptourismgovAgencies from five countries, including the United States, Japan, and Canada have been roped in for the hot air balloon fest.
Photo: Twitter/@uptourismgovThe fest will also have various cultural events like traditional dances.
The boat race began at 12 noon on Jan 17. 12 teams of professional boat rowers will battle it out over 4 days for the prize: Rs 1.75 lakh.
Photo: Twitter/@uptourismgovThe boat race, a first for Varanasi, is being held over a 3-km stretch of the Ganga, between the Dashashwamedh and Namo Ghats.
Photo: Twitter/@uptourismgovVaranasi is one of the top tourist destinations in India, with more than 7.5 crore footfalls each year. The festival will help boost UP tourism.
This is the first time a cultural landmark festival at this scale is taking place in Varanasi. All SCO countries are taking part in this event.
Photo: Twitter/@uptourismgov