Jaipur Kite Festival is held every year on 14th January on Makar Sankranti. Over the last few years, the Jaipur Kite Festival is organized at Jal Mahal, Jaipur. The previous venue was Chaugan stadium, for years. Jal Mahal is easily accessible in comparison to Chaugan Stadium. It is on the tourist map being located on the road to Amer and Nahargarh Fort. The Kite Festival is organized by RTDC- Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation every year on the 14th of January in a bid to improve tourism prospects. I have captured a few pictures from this festival in 2016 at the Jal Mahal promenade.
These are my thoughts about the Jaipur Kite Festival event organized by the tourism department.
- The festival was organized in a small & secluded area. It doesn’t create the right vibe of a kite festival. There were a few kites holed up in one of the booths at the venue.
- The center stage was occupied by folk dancers and artists. The Tourism authorities seem to have run out of ideas. The same performances are held across all festival events in Rajasthan with the same artists, be it Gangaur in Jaipur or Camel festival in Bikaner. This is supposed to be a kite festival and not a folk performance!!
- There were very few foreign travelers & tourists. The crowd largely consisted of journalists, media photographers, and tourism department officials. Where are the tourists?
- The previous venue Chaugan Stadium was grander in scale. The venue and the festival were spread over a huge area. There were a lot more activities for tourists. It also involved participation from the local people. The Kite festival at Jal Mahal excluded locals. If it’s a local festival, it should have the participation of locals as well. This helps travelers and tourists an opportunity to interact and experience it in an authentic manner.
- Locals were barred from entering the premises; probably the authorities must be having good reasons for it, I’m not questioning that! Even Indian travelers & tourists were not allowed in the area cordoned off for the kite festival.
It would have been prudent if the festival was organized in the old city area of Jaipur allowing the travelers to experience the atmosphere of the city during the Makar Sankranti. If someone has not yet experienced Makar Sankranti in Jaipur it is high time to do so. The mood is festive with people playing their chosen music on loudspeakers on terraces, the entire friends and family converging together to fly kites and engage in kite fights! Even females are as excited as males when it comes to flying kites in Jaipur. In my opinion, it is this mood that will entice tourists for an experience. The tourism department should map tourists to experience it with local families.
The overall impression of the Jaipur Kite Festival at Jal Mahal was that it was everything except the kite festival. It’s time that the Tourism department gets things going in the right direction!
JaipurThruMyLens 
no photos of kites up in the clear blue jaipur skies? lolz
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Bernard, I’m supposed to post another post with pictures from elsewhere in the city on Makar Sakranti! Running short of time, too many things to write ….always is the case!! …very soon!
🙂
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For kite & other Festival buy goods in wholesale cost from
http://WWW.FESTSELL>COM
Kindly visit this website
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Like you mentioned locals also must participate in the festival
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That’s my opinion. unique experience always stay in your memories… locals definitely contribute towards it!
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Beautiful Pictures 🙂 I think you are right that government should make it accessible for all 🙂 How can the festival give the real feel when its locals are abandoned 🙂
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Thanks NJ! I guess they must have had some reasons -maybe security! I guess they need a new perspective!
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Yeah true 🙂 and nice security measures too 😛
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Nice images and vibrant Rajasthan!
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Thanks seohunter! Thanks for checking it out!
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I agree with you, locals should be allowed to participate too! If I were a tourist at this festival I’d be disappointed that there weren’t any locals there. After all, interacting with people from different cultures and learning about their ways is one of the best parts of traveling.
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True Josh! the current venue is quite small on space , I’m sure this doesn’t work well to include locals as well. also security must be high on the list. Probably the authorities need to change the venue.
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I read many negative reviews about, especially because locals were not allowed there!
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Alok, I guess the current venue is too small for that. Because I have seen the other venue in past, I can compare both. I guess Rtdc needs to rework on the venue! Thanks for your comment.
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I was a bit disappointed…not with your pics, they’re good…but with the absence of kites…flying kites…which as you have rightly pointed out should have been the focus of activity at a ‘Kite Festival.’ That being said, I like your page.
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Joy! I am about to post a post & pictures on kite festival, though it’s not going to be elaborate but still…will keep you posted! Thanks for your comment & visit! 🙂
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Amazing colors. Everything is so catchy for the eyes, those traditional clothes, dances are really nice to know about this as for the foreigner.
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Thanks. The traditional dresses were colorful in Rajasthan since time immemorial.
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Maybe if the locals were allowed…..it would have been very crowded and difficult to contain the situation….tourists might have got harassed……
But that’s no way to solve a prob, barring locals from their own festival.
I quite enjoyed looking at the pics 🙂
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend 🙂
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Yes, I also presumed the same. I hope yjey come up with better venue. Quite happy to know that you enjoyed these pictures…thanks for checking this post & for the greetings! 🙂
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I had a wonderful time going through your posts!! 🙂 Thank you for sharing 🙂
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Happy to know that you enjoyed them… Surely, it keeps you going! 🙂
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Looking forward to read more from you and look at your lovely captures 🙂
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That sure is a compliment! Thank you!
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A very well deserved compliment, more like the truth!! 😀 😀
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I’m happy 🙂
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🙂
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