Chennai Events

Chennai is a place of many festivals, all of which are celebrated with equal enthusiasm and devotion. The most important festival is Pongal, the Tamil New Year which ends with a bull-fight on the fourth day. Another important religious festival is the Arubathimoovar Festival when bronze figures of 63 canonized saints of Shiva in the Kapaleshwar Temple are carried out in a procession through the streets of Mylapore. In spite of the orthodox religious nature of the people here, the Kanthuri festival has devotees of all faiths flocking to the shrine of saint Quadirwali (believed to be compassionate to people of all faiths), thus making it a truly secular festival. Besides its many religious festivals, Chennai also plays host to numerous cultural festivals and fairs that reveal the city's flourishing heritage in the form of art, music and dance. The Dance Festival at Mamallapuram in the months of December and January is said to be one of the biggest cultural events in the world where performances in traditional dance forms such as Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Odissi are graced by the most reputed artistes in the field of Indian dance today. The Tyagaraja Festival is celebrated in honour of Tyagaraja, a renowned South Indian composer and saint at Tiruvaiyaru where musicians and poets gather to sing in his memory. And for those thirsting for more, the Tourist Fair at the Island Grounds in the city is specifically designed to display Tamil Nadu's rich cultural heritage to its visitors.