34th Taj Mahotsav to begin today

Agra: The City of Taj is all set to witness the colourful inauguration of the 34th Taj Mahotsav 2026 today, marking the beginning of a 10-day celebration of art, craft and heritage.Scheduled from Feb 18 to 27, the festival will unfold this year under the theme ‘Vande Mataram – Tradition and Pride of the Nation'. It will be inaugurated by Union minister S P Singh Baghel, cabinet ministers Baby Rani Maurya and Yogendra Upadhyay.Breaking tradition, the venue has been shifted from Shilpgram to an open ground on the Fatehabad Road, offering visitors a larger, more open and digitally equipped cultural arena.The festival will host 500 stalls featuring craftsmen from across the country. Special emphasis is on Uttar Pradesh's One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, with stalls from 50 districts displaying traditional crafts, handlooms, khadi, jute products and local delicacies.A state-of-the-art open-air digital stage with international-grade light and sound systems and seating for over 4,000 spectators has been set up at the venue. Each evening will feature themed programmes, including Bollywood Night, Sufi Night and Comedy Night. Renowned singers Neeraj Shridhar and Madhubanti Bagchi will headline musical evenings, while comedian Krishna Abhishek is set to entertain the audience.Expanding the festival's footprint beyond the main venue, a qawwali by Nizami Bandhu will be held at Fatehpur Sikri, while a bhajan evening by Mishra Bandhu is scheduled at the historic Bateshwar Temple.The festival will also provide a major platform to local and Braj artists, selected through auditions, who will perform daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Celebrity performances will follow in the evenings. Tourism-centric activities such as bike and car rallies (Feb 20–22), the ‘Agra Beyond Taj' seminar, Yamuna Maha Aarti, and a Nature and Wildlife Exhibition by the forest department will add further vibrancy to the celebrations.Entry tickets have been priced at ₹50 for adults, while foreign tourists and children below three years will enjoy free entry. A group ticket of ₹700 has been introduced for schoolchildren (in uniform, group of 50). To manage crowds, six ticket counters have been set up, supported by deployment of 200 police personnel and extensive CCTV surveillance across the venue. Regional tourism officer and Taj Mahotsav organising committee secretary Shakti Singh said the objective is to give Uttar Pradesh's artisans a global platform while offering visitors an unforgettable cultural experience.