Now in its 10th year, the Pondicherry Heritage Festival 2024 (PHF) has a line-up of interesting events that celebrate the diverse facets of Pondicherry’s heritage from special programmes for school children that inculcate a curiosity about local history and heritage to food trails, eco-tours, heritage walks, music & dance performances and community events.

Here are some of the events open to the public as part of PHF 2024

• February 29: 7 pm, starts @ The Spot, Rue Dumas: Join the Pondy Heritage Food Trail for a foodie adventure that visits iconic restaurants & long-standing street food spots : Rs. 500 per person (inclusive of all food ). Registrations Closed.

• March 1: 3.30 pm- 5.30 pm @ Sri Aurobindo Society : Commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo, SAS presents a Conference on ‘Pondicherry: The Cave of Tapasya’ focusing on the rich diversity of cultural expressions in Puducherry in the light of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Free event.

• March 1: 4 pm, starts @ Palais de Mahe : Heritage walk with senior architects from INTACH with focus on restored buildings. This is a free event. Register: Whatsapp 98237 47725

• March 2 & 3: 10 am – 7 pm on Day 1 & 10 am – 1 pm on Day 2 @ La Mason de Bitasta, 14, Bazaar Saint Laurent Street: Made in Pondy exhibition and sale of beautiful things handmade or handcrafted in Pondicherry: handprinted tees, pottery, Villianur terracotta, handcrafted leather, bakes and savouries etc. Entry free.

• March 2: 10.30 am-11.30 am @ MGMCRI: Music, Yoga & Therapy : Traditional Indian music along with demonstrations of yoga asanas. Interactive sessions where participants will join in creating music and learn asanas for stress management. Organised by the Institute of Salutogenesis and Complementary Medicine which offers music therapy & yoga along with allopathic medicine. Free event.

• March 2 & 3: 3.30 pm- 6.30 pm @ Pondy Yacht Club: Introduction to Mangroves and natural heritage of Pondicherry’s Thengaithittu estuary. Presentation followed by boat ride and planting of mangroves. Paid event.

• March 3, 6.30 am @ Morattandi : Nature cycling and trekking tour and birdwatching in the tropical dry evergreen forests around Pondicherry.  Organised by Pondicherry Beach Escapes and PondicherryIn. Rs. 850 per person.

• March 3, 9 am – 12 noon @ Kamatchi Amman Koil Street (between MG Road and Mission Street) : Street Play: family friendly street festival. Bring your children, family, friends and neighbours and a traditional activity, game, or even your grandmother’s bedtime stories to share with others. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce your kids to our cultural heritage. Organised by Ananthi G. Velmurugan and Suguna Selvan. Free event and open to all.

• March 3, 9 am @ Arts & Crafts Village,Murungapakkam:  Kayaking for a Trash Free Planet. Cleanliness drive in the
  mangrove forest along the Ariyankuppam River using kayaks to collect solid wastes. Organised by Pondicherry Beach Escapes and PondicherryIn. Rs. 250 per person.

• March 3, 3.30 pm @ Eden beach: Arikamedu & the Forgotten History: Cycle Tour : Go back in time as you cycle on the banks and around the ruins of Arikamedu that once was a thriving port with trading links to ancient Rome. Rs. 850 per person

• March 3, 7-8 pm @ Kariappa House, 22, Pillayar Koil Street, Vaithikuppam:  River Flows Through You : Kathak Dance performance by Jayteeta Dutta  : A unique solo dance production which explores the classical Indian dance form of Kathak on a tapestry of western classical music vocabulary. Free event.

PHF was originally founded to protect and conserve the built heritage of Pondicherry and has slowly expanded to celebrate the various aspects of Pondicherry’s heritage including the natural heritage, rich spiritual and intellectual history, and combination of indigenous and imported cultural practices, all of which gives Pondicherry its distinctive character.

For more information contact: Raje +91 94425 77394 | Veda +91 9823747725

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