The Cochin Carnival Festival dates back to the time of the Portuguese colonial era. It was actually the Portuguese New Year that was celebrated and then with the passage of time the entire city started to participate and enjoy the merry making.
Starting since Solidarity Day on December 22, it is a ten-day long festival and is usually ended by a flag-off in dignified silence to pay tribute to the brave martyrs who died while fighting for their motherland. It was revived in 1984, and has now gained immense popularity and all the activities organized during the Carnival are centred around its five main slogans, namely, Participation, Peace, Progress, Adventure and Environment. Besides the adventure sports like Beach Bike Race and Sea Swimming, there are Beach Football, Beach Volleyball, Shuttle Badminton and Ball Badminton Tournaments are organized during the course of the festival. The Cochin Carnival Festival has gone through a lot of evolution and now it has become an occasion for all to enjoy the gaiety of the festivities. The Carnival is unique and it is indeed a pleasure for the youth. There are the special competitions and games that are held and many people participate in them. The city too is dressed up in all its splendor and bears a gay look. There are the special illuminations and during this time the Fort Kochi bears the festive look of the season.
Color white simply dominates the concluding 10 days of December, during the Kochi Carnival. All establishments in the city don white paper buntings. The available space on the streets host impromptu competitions and multi-faceted celebrations. Kalam Vara (floor drawing), tug-of-war, bicycle race, swimming in the sea, beach volleyball are some of the programs that take place during the Cochin Carnival at Fort Kochi. The festivities and revelries continue till midnight of December 31st with fireworks marking the grand finale.
Color white simply dominates the concluding 10 days of December, during the Kochi Carnival. All establishments in the city don white paper buntings. The available space on the streets host impromptu competitions and multi-faceted celebrations. Kalam Vara (floor drawing), tug-of-war, bicycle race, swimming in the sea, beach volleyball are some of the programs that take place during the Cochin Carnival at Fort Kochi. The festivities and revelries continue till midnight of December 31st with fireworks marking the grand finale.