Annual desert festival to start on Feb 12 in Rajasthan

Jaisalmer, Feb 10: The world famous annual desert

, which exhibits rich cultural heritage of

will begin with colourful procession on February 12 in Jaisalmer.

The festival, organised by tourism department and district administration, will have live performances by folk artists at Poonam Singh stadium and Sam dunes.

"Preparations have been completed for the annual event and noted folk artists have been invited for cultural presentations," Vikas Pandya, Deputy Director, Tourism Department, said. Competitions like Mr and Miss Moomal, moustache competitions, turban tying, tug of war between domestic and foreigner tourists will be some of the highlights of the fiesta.

Rustic local men and women dressed in costumes sing and dance with joy during the festival, which is a grand display of performing arts. Traditional music is played to entertain tourists attending the event.

Snake charmers, acrobats and puppeteers play a staller role. Villagers participate with their camels in events like Camel dance, race and acrobatics.

PTI