The two-day Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) Carnival 2025 opened Thursday at ICC Film City (Ideal Indian School grounds) offering a wide variety of entertainment highlighting culture, traditions and heritage. The timing Friday is 4.30pm to 11pm.
“The venue has a festive look with carnival-themed decorations, shopping and food stalls, performances, shows and service booths. The programme is an endeavour to uphold the legacy of the great Indian culture among the community,” ICC president A P Manikantan told *Gulf Times.
ICC's annual events Bharat Utsav and Passage to India, Manikantan recalled, have won accolades from Indians and other communities in Qatar. “The ICC Carnival 2025 is special with its accompanying interactive shows. We have arranged art exhibition titled 'India' by Vafi, along with a captivating photo exhibition,” he said.
Also, the carnival celebrates the legacy of Indian cinema to pay tribute to the stories, stars, and spirit that have united millions across generations. The stalls offer traditional food, mehndi, clothing and jewellery. ICC has set up booths to introduce its social and welfare services to the community and reach out to new beneficiaries. ICC volunteers provide information and guidelines about its services at the Legal Cell booth. One of the booths is dedicated to highlighting the Security Scheme by the Indian Community Benvolent Forum (ICBF).
On Friday, the carnival will host a concert by renowned South Indian artiste Anoop Sankar and his team. Manikantan said there is cooperation between ICC, the Indian embassy and various government entities to ensure the success of the event. Around 500 volunteers are on the ground to serve the visitors. The inaugural day, Manikantan added, evoked a good response from the visitors, who flocked to the carnival to enjoy the visual grandeur and festive spirit.
Cultural performances are among the highlights of the ICC Carnival 2025 which opened Thursday and continues today. PICTURE: Shaji Kayamkulam
