All about the colourful Summer Festival of Ooty, celebrated for over 100 years now 

Ooty, a well-known hill station in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India, is known for its stupendous beauty. Every year in May, the ‘Queen of Hills’, aka Ooty, hosts one of the oldest flower festivals of the country.  

This festival is a 122-year-old affair that typically lasts for 16 days each year. It is held across many locations in Ooty including the iconic Botanical Gardens, established in the 19th century during the British era. This Ministry of Tourism and Culture of India and the Tourism Department of Tamil Nadu sponsor this festival every year to promote tourism.  

Throughout this festival, there are numerous eye-catching exhibitions and cultural dance and music events that take place. A variety of other activities such as boat races, hiking competitions, and painting contests for children are conducted as part of the festivities. Folk dances and performances by local dancers are a remarkable sight that delights the tourists.  

Some of the best shows and events to witness during the festival are the flower show, spice show, fruit show, and the incredible rose show. 

Flower Show 
The Chairman of the Agricultural Society, Mr JH Tremenhere inaugurated the first edition of the flower show in 1896. Since then, it has attracted thousands of visitors to the event. Each year, more than 150,000 exhibitors display over 150 varieties of flowers, and breath-taking flower sculptures in vibrant colours. The Ooty Flower Show is known for displaying the best flower sculptures, real and contemporary floral artistry and craftsmanship, as well as for encouraging young artists. Due to the array of flowers on display, the Botanical Garden resembles a tropical paradise on Earth. The vibrant flowers scattered everywhere create a visual panorama that is worth a click for sure! 

Spice Show 
This is one of the most notable events in Ooty during the Summer Festival organised in Gudalur, Nilgiris. The spice festival, which was first held in 2010, was originally a two-day exhibition displaying the wide range of spices in the Ooty spice plantations. In 2013, the district administration declared it as a three-day event with cultural programmes as a part of it. The Ooty Summer Festival officially kicks off with the Spice Show. The purpose to celebrate this show is to highlight the diversity of spices and the iconic Ooty plantations. As the name suggests, here you will witness over 100 spices, mainly pepper, nutmeg, poppy seeds, cardamom, coriander and mustard. These spices are extensively farmed in Gudalur, Nilgiris, and exported across the world as well. 

Fruit Show 
The fruit show is held at Sim’s Park in Coonoor (Nilgiris) and is being organised by the Department of Horticulture for over 50 years now. This show is the last event of the Summer Festival related to horticulture and features a range of fruits as well as stunning fruit sculptures and fruit-themed art amid the park's greenery. This show also expresses the creative abilities of the Horticulture Department as well as their admirable attempts to enhance the beauty of the show. This show is organised to highlight the ‘pomological wealth of the district’ and the important role played by fruits in nutrition and the economy of the district. After the show ends, all the fruits utilised for the various exhibitions are used to manufacture jelly and squash at the Pomological Station in Coonoor. 

Rose Show 
This annual show is held at the Government Rose Garden in Ooty, where more than 300 varieties of roses are displayed. It is a visual treat for everyone who loves roses, and more so, flowers. In addition to various exhibitions of beautiful artwork centred around roses of unimaginable colours, the event features majestic rose towers created from hundreds of roses, and rangolis made solely from rose petals.  

If you are a nature lover, add the Ooty Summer Festival to your bucket list!