1^st – 5^th December :: Every Year

The Konark Festival ( Konark Dance Festival ) is a 5-day-liong dance extravaganza festival held at the Natya Mandap in the backdrop of the Sun temple Konark in Odisha held every year from 1st to 5th December. This is considered as one of the biggest dance festivals in Oidsha which attracts mass audiences from the state, country and globe every year. It is a festival of celebration of dance, music and art in a venue where every stone has a story to tell where language of stones surpasses the language of poets. Stepping on the stage, behold the stars come alive in their gracious movements, colorful ambience, and rhythmic innuendos on one platform, set in the backdrop of the majestic Sun temple.

Every bit of the venue’s is being decorated / covered with fine artistic designs of the ancient times, musicians playing drums, cymbals and other musical instruments adorn the sculptures in Odissi dance poses etc. Many well know eminent dancers from across the country perform on this event. This festival has been organized jointly by Odisha Tourism and Odissi Research Centre to promote the varied Indian dance heritage as well as the popularity of Konark Sun Temple and Odisha as a tourist destination.

During this mega event every year, Konark witnesses a huge number of visitors and art enthusiasts, to envisage the biggest and the grandest of dance festivals in the state. The festival offers a platform for classical dancers in India to showcase India's cultural depth and almost all main classical dance forms of India-including Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Kathakali, Kathaka, Kuchipudi and Sattriya take part in the five-day classical dance carnival making the event a grand one.

Concurrent to this festival, the International Sand Art Festival is also being organized every year which attracts numerous travelers from all over the globe. And complementing to these 2 mega events, at this world heritage site, a Crafts Mela is being held at the Urban Haat in Konark which displays and sells beautiful sculptures and souvenirs made by the local artisans and craftsmen of the region.