Karwar (ENS): The three-day Karavali Utsav-2016 concluded on a vibrant note in Karwar on Monday. The cultural, entertainment, adventure sports and other events attracted thousands of visitors to this beach town.
The district administration, which organized the utsav, is expecting a good number of tourists to Uttara Kannada in the coming days. The utsav witnessed about one lakh footfalls in three days. Though the number of visitors was less than the expected on the first day, it improved on the second day and third days.
Except events, adventure sports, amusement park, food and other stalls will be there for another couple of days. Various competitions, including beach marathon and volleyball, dog and flower show, cooking, boat race and kabaddi held in Mayuravarma Vedike on the Ravindranath Tagore beach, Maladevi ground, Rangamandira and DC office premises grabbed the attention of the visitors.
Mohan Kamat from Udupi said: “I enjoyed on all the three days with my family. I feel this is one of the best festivals held in this region. Cultural events, especially singing, dancing and magic show, were extremely interesting.”
Some families brought mat to sit on the beach and watch the programmes on the huge LED screens put up near the Mayuravarma Vedike. They also brought food with them.
“It was like picnic for us. We brought some food items and mat to sit on the beach. We are more comfortable sitting on the floor than on chairs,” they said.
Jaya Shetty, a B.Com student from Goa, said: “I came to Karwar only to witness the festival. It was well organized and I enjoyed all the programmes with my relatives here. I liked the adventure sports and also tried paramotoring. It was a thrilling experience and had a wider view of hills, beach and river around Karwar city.”
On Sunday night, food stalls remained open till 3 am. There was huge demand for chats and snacks. Most of the visitors were happy with the Utsav, especially adventure sports. Parasailing, paramotoring and jet-skiing on the Ravindranath Tagore beach were the main attractions.