Experience the Himalayan Orange Tourism Festival in Kolkata This December

Image generated with Ai

The iconic Darjeeling orange is making a grand return through the sixth edition of the Himalayan Orange Tourism Festival. This vibrant three-day celebration will take place at City Centre 1, Salt Lake, Kolkata, from December 6 to 8, running from 12 pm to 8 pm.

Organized by the Association for Conservation and Tourism (ACT), the festival aims to reconnect urban visitors with the rural heritage of Darjeeling, Dooars, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and other regions of Northeast India, alongside Himachal Pradesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Once celebrated as more renowned than its Nagpur counterpart, the Darjeeling orange gradually faded from public attention. To restore its former glory, plans are underway to establish a citrus research centre in Mongpu, along with initiatives to promote the ‘Himalayan Orange’ as a symbol of agrotourism and rural pride.

The inspiration behind the festival draws from Rabindranath Tagore’s profound bond with the picturesque Hills.

The festival also celebrates a 30-year rural tourism movement spearheaded by ACT, which has helped revive agricultural pride and preserve rural heritage throughout the Eastern Himalayas. Initially launched in 2014, the Himalayan Orange Tourism Festival has grown into a prominent cultural event, with successful editions held in 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2022.