Ministry of Cultural Affairs to stage ‘Sharadiya Cultural Festival’ at Shilpakala

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs will present a two-day "Sharadiya Cultural Festival", to be managed by the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, on September 30 and October 1.

The festival opens on September 30 at 6:30pm with a performance at the Suhrawardy Udyan open stage: a jatra (folk theatre) titled "Mahishasura Mardini, Devi Durga." The production features Palakar Ujjal Kumar Byapari and will be staged by the Mata Majjulika religious theatre troupe.

The closing day's programme will take place on the Nandan stage at Shilpakala Academy. The evening begins with an invocation in the form of a "Manglik Nritya", accompanied by traditional drum and dhol. 

The performances that follow will include Shyama Sangeet, devotional songs, patriotic numbers, and contemporary songs. Solo performers scheduled to appear include Anima Rai, Deblina Sur Dola, Rituraj and Sinthi Saha.

The festival's inauguration will be attended by the Culture Adviser, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. Closing-night remarks will be delivered by Tapan Chandra Majumdar, Bijon Kanti Sarkar, Ramesh Dutt and Tarun De. All events are free and open to the public.

The government's initiative follows a series of cultural programmes organised this year by the Ministry and hosted by Shilpakala Academy — including Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha "Chand Rater Ananda" celebrations and a cultural programme marking Buddha Purnima 2025. This Sharadiya festival continues that pattern, aligning official support with one of the country's most important seasonal observances.

For audiences, the two-day programme promises a mix of ritual performance and popular stage traditions, linking urban festivals to centuries-old devotional and folk forms that remain central to Bangla Durga-Puja culture. The organisers say the event aims to foreground traditional performance genres while offering accessible public programming across the capital.

The two-day programme will be open to all.