Think of hill stations in south India, the first name that comes to us is Udhagamandalam otherwise called Ooty. Nestled in the picturesque Nilgiris

District, Ooty is immensely popular among tourists. This charming hill station can be visited throughout the year, but a visit to Ooty during summer season is a special treat.

Almost a month long ‘Summer Festival’ is conducted by the Department of Tourism, Tamil Nadu State and Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. This summer festival is a gala event with several exhibitions and engaging cultural programs.

This year, the festival started on 4th May with a vegetable show at Nehru Park, Kotagiri.

Next show which was concluded on 8th May was spice show. The venue was at St. Thomas English Secondary School in Gudalur. A pretty miniature Taj Mahal made of spices like poppy seeds, pepper, nutmeg, cardamom and several other types (totally 11) attracted everyone magnetically. The five-foot structure was a huge success as people flocked around the replica.

The next major and arguably most spectacular events will be rose show and flower show. Udhgai rose garden is the venue for rose show and Government Botanical Garden is the place where the flower show is going to be held.

Ooty Summer Festival 2013 Images

This photo “Ooty Summer Festival” @flickr from monishsb
made available under a ShareAlike, No Derivative Works license.

Hundreds of roses and flowers with different hues and shades are waiting to entice every visitor and it was announced that several new varieties are going to be included this year. No doubt everyone is looking forward to it and it is sure to be a heavenly treat to the eyes.

Finally the festival is going to be concluded by the fruit show which is going to be held at Sim’s Park, Coonoor.

Apart from these exhibitions, trekking, boat races, fashion parade, fun activities, etc., are being organized as part of the festivities.

The upcoming events of the summer festival are as follows-

Date Shows Venue
11.5.2013 Rose show inauguration Rose Garden, Udhagai
12.5.2013 Rose show Valedictory Rose Garden, Udhagai
17.5.2013 Flower show inauguration Govt. Botanical Garden, Udhagai
18.5.2013 Flower show Govt. Botanical Garden, Udhagai
19.5.2013 Flower show valedictory Govt. Botanical Garden, Udhagai
25.5.2013 Fruit show inauguration Sim’s Park, Coonoor
26.5.2013 Fruit show valedictory Sim’s Park, Coonoor

If you are planning a trip to the Queen of Hill Stations, along with the cool misty haze of the Blue Mountains, eucalyptus trees and scenic beauty of Ooty, be sure to savour the summer festival.