Thrissur: Only three days remain for the curtains to rise on the state school arts festival. With 25 venues, 249 events and 15,000 young performers, preparations are now in their final stage. The venues, including those at Thekkinkadu Maidan, have already been set up.

This year’s festival arrives with several distinctive features: the concept of a ‘responsible arts festival’, follow-up activities to be carried out in schools, and a two-day ‘Golden Cup’ procession, among others.

The festival will be inaugurated at 10am on January 14 at the main venue — Thekkinkadu Maidan— by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Minister V Sivankutty will preside. Union Minister Suresh Gopi will be the chief guest, while actor Rhea Shibu will attend as special guest. The closing ceremony, to be held at 4pm on January 18, will be inaugurated by Opposition Leader V D Satheesan, with actor Mohanlal as chief guest.

Accommodation for participants arriving from various districts has been arranged. The list of schools providing accommodation will be given to students and teachers in digital form. Clicking on the school’s name or scanning the QR code below it will display details of the accommodation as well as the route map. Clicking the mobile number provided will allow direct contact with the accommodation centre.

One-hour playtime in schools

As part of the festival’s follow-up initiatives to enhance values and skills in children, several programmes will be implemented, Minister Sivankutty said. One such initiative is ‘Naranga Mittayi’, which ensures that every child gets at least one hour of playtime — in addition to the designated sports period.

Another initiative is a theme-based weekly plan involving discussions on different topics over six weeks. Between January 12 and 17, all schools must hold a PTA meeting to secure support for these programmes. Discussions will include themes such as ‘Digital Addiction Free Week’ and ‘Appreciation Week’. The festival venues will not permit disposable water bottles, or packet snacks like crisps, biscuits or chocolates.