Mandu Festival to return with tent city, extended tourist activities after three years

Indore: The state tourism department is planning to set up tent cities at Mandu and Tamia as part of its annual festival calendar. Preparations at Mandu are already under way and Tamia is scheduled for early 2026.MP Tourism Board's annual festivals began this season and preparations are in full swing at Mandu, which falls under the department's Indore region. The Mandu Festival, which could not be held for the past three years, is set to return from the end of Jan or Feb. Along with the festival, the department is setting up a tent city to enhance the tourist experience and extend visitor stays.MPTB additional managing director Abhay Bedekar said, "Planning for both destinations is complete and the festivals are expected to kick off early in the year. Mandu enjoys a distinct identity not only at the national level but also among foreign tourists. This international appeal prompted the department to allow the tent city to operate for nearly three months. Even after the five-day main festival concludes, the tent city will remain open to visitors, offering a continuous calendar of activities and cultural programmes."During this extended period, tourists can expect regular band performances and live concerts. A wide range of adventure and experiential activities is also being planned across water, land and air. These include cycling trails, trekking routes, jungle safaris, night jungle walks, zip-lining, parasailing, hot air ballooning, yoga sessions, air gun shooting and horse riding, aimed at attracting both leisure travellers and adventure enthusiasts.Officials said similar planning is under way for Tamia, where a tent city and festival are proposed to begin in early 2026, positioning the destination as another experiential tourism hub in the state.The board has awarded the responsibility of organising both Hanuwantiya Jal Mahotsav and Mandu Utsav to the same agency for the next five years. Officials said that since this is the agency's first year, there was some delay due to coordination and inter-departmental planning, but they assured that arrangements were on track.