Festember 2014 – one of South India’s biggest and finest annual cultural fest
Since its inception in 1975, Festember has snowballed into one of South India’s biggest and finest annual cultural fest, taking place from the 25th to 28th September, drawing a footfall of more than 10,000 from over 500 colleges across India. It has been awarded the best cultural festival of the year by the State Government of Tamil Nadu in 2005. Festember, which flagged off as a zero-budget fest redefined itself over the years to become a full fledged one, having associations with corporate giants like Hero, Nimbuzz, Adobe, Aircel and Vodafone including this year’s co-sponsor KDD Harvest.
Relaxing on the Halloween theme of last year, Festember’14 is all set to go Hawaiian. Festember unfailingly outperforms itself every year with its growing slew of events, performances, workshops and activities. It is a platform for youngsters to showcase their talent and an opportunity for budding artists to kick-start their careers. Competitions with prize money worth over INR 16,00,000 encourages participants to transcend horizons with their sheer prowess and mettle. The Fest is at its zenith during the ProNites, which is easily one of most alluring event. In the past, Festember has welcomed a lot of star performers at ProNites. It has featured traditional melodies played by Kadri Gopalnathand Ganesh-Kumaresh, the intense rhythms of Silk Route, Euphoria and Motherjane, the rocking beats of Drums Sivamanior the popular songs sung by Javed Ali, Benny Dayal, and Salim-Sulaiman. While the Proshows garner the crowd’s attention late into the night, the informals are sure to keep both the participants and the spectators busy and on their toes throughout the four days.
Picking up from the popular ‘Mr & Ms Festember’ from last year, Festember’14’s ‘Campus Princess’ is to be held on 28th August (Day 4). The model hunt has scaled new heights as this year Festember’14 is in collaboration with Miss India Organization, with the winner getting a free entry to the final round of Miss India 2015 auditions in Mumbai.
Festember walked a mile with open quiz held on 16th Aug 2014 in IIT Madras in association with Quiz Foundation of India with more than 350 participants.
Festember rocked Kochi and Bangalore in the prelims of Gig-a-hertz- the semi pro band competition of the festival. Festember in association with Amaranta Entertainment organized this event in Kochi on 23rd August and in Bangalore on 6th September.
Keeping aside the glamour and revelry, Festember also has a very human face to it that believes in contributing to the community. The festival is preceded by a series of social, educational and health initiatives by the Festember Social Responsibility team (FSR). Vatsalya, FSR’s debut event took place on Saturday 9th August at Annai Ashram, KK Nagar. This social venture brought together the young orphans and the people of an old age home for a day, where they were kept engaged with various activities. It was followed by a ‘Cycle for Cause’ on 23rd August. With more than 100 school children participating in a rally to promote afforestation, it aimed at making the general public more eco-friendly.
Festember’14 promises to raise the curtains to brighter stars, handsome prize money, bigger crowds and unprecedented adrenaline levels. Breaking away from the Halloween theme, there is no need to tread carefully anymore. Let Festember sail you through this exhilarating experience. Surfs Up!