Island Tourism Festival
cultural
When it happens
December
Late December into January, on civil dates set each year by the Tourism Department. The 2025 edition ran 27–31 December.
Significance
A modern government tourism event about forty years old, not an ancient tradition. Its real value is as the one occasion each year when the archipelago's settler communities and the Nicobari community appear on the same stage.
Why it's celebrated
It was created by the Administration rather than by any community — begun in the late 1980s as Island on the March, a showcase of the territory's development, and renamed and moved to anchor a tourist season.
How it's celebrated
Evening cultural programmes on a main stage, where island community associations — Nicobari, Karen, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayali, Mopla, Maharashtrian — perform alongside troupes flown in from the mainland. Around the stage sit department stalls, vendors, food counters and a flower show. Entry is free.
Key rituals
None — it is a civic and cultural programme.
Beliefs & spiritual meaning
None.
History & origins
It began in the late 1980s as Island on the March, held in April at the Gymkhana Ground as a development showcase, and was renamed the Island Tourism Festival in 1994 and moved to the dry season.
Frequently asked
When is the Island Tourism Festival?+
Late December into January, on dates fixed each year by the Tourism Department — the 2025 edition ran 27 to 31 December. Announcements appear on the territory's tourism site, and note that Port Blair is now officially Sri Vijaya Puram.
Is this a traditional island festival?+
No. It was created by the Administration in the late 1980s as Island on the March and renamed in 1994. What makes it worth attending is practical rather than ancient: it is the one occasion each year when the archipelago's settler communities and the Nicobari community perform on the same stage, and for most visitors it is the only way to see Nicobari dance, since the Nicobar group itself is closed.
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