Flower Show &  Kite Festival in Gujarat Cancelled Amid Covid Spike

The Gujarat government has cancelled the state's annual Kite Festival and Flower Show 2022 due to the rapid increase in Covid cases and the spread of the Omicron variant. 

Gujarat's annual Kite festival kicks up a week before Makar Sakranti. The annual kite festival was also cancelled last year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The flower show was scheduled to take place on the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad from January 8 to January 23. Notably, the flower show 2022 was intended to be held on the riverbank between Ellis and Sadar Bridge, with around 1,000 different flower varieties for decoration. 

The state government had already postponed the tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, which was scheduled to take place from January 10 to 12, because of the fast increase of Covid and Omicron cases. 

 "With the rapid increase in Covid cases, in the larger interest of public health and wellness, the 10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, scheduled for 10-12 January has been postponed," the Gujarat health department said on Twitter. 

 Ahemdabad BJP Chief Amit Popatlal Shah, Vice President Darshak Thakar, former MLA Bhushan Bhatt, and Paresh Lakhani tested positive for Covid-19 after attending the 'Dharmacharya Ashirwad Samaroh' on Tuesday.

These leaders, as well as Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, were present at the event. The gathering was organized by the ruling BJP so that seers can give their blessings to Modi for renovating the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. 

Covid situation in Gujarat 

Gujarat recorded 4,123 fresh Covid cases and one death on Thursday. The state saw 860 recoveries, and the number of active cases has surpassed 14,000. 

Gujarat recorded 3,350 fresh Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, breaking the Covid-19 threshold of 3,000 after seven months. This week, the number of active cases in the state surpassed 10,000, and the positivity rate reached 1.53%. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the state reported 50 new cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 204. 

Kite Festival in Gujarat 

Gujarat's colorful kite festival is an annual event in which people of all ages demonstrate their kite flying skills with unique kites.

In general, this event is held in the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad, providing a unique platform for all kite manufacturers and flyers from across the world to hone their talents. The kite flyers demonstrate their extraordinary kite flying skills. 

According to the state's tourist department, the international kite festival has been conducted in Ahmedabad since 1989 as part of the Uttarayan celebrations.