Malabar River Festival 2023 to Kick Off in Kozhikode on July 25

Fast Summary

• The 11th Malabar River festival, an international white-water kayaking championship, begins on Friday (July 25, 2025) at Chalippuzha in Kodenchery grama panchayat, Kozhikode.
• The event runs for three days (July 25-27) and is organized by the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society and the kozhikode District Tourism Promotion Council with technical support from the Indian Kayaking & Canoeing Association.
• Kayaking events include Olympic men’s and women’s slalom and extreme slalom at Pulikkayam on Chalippuzha river; other competitions like extreme slalom final, downriver, and boater cross will be held at Pulloorampara on Iruvazhinjipuzha river.
• Linto Joseph, MLA, will inaugurate the festival in Pulikkayam at 9 a.m., with senior officials such as District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh attending. Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas will present prizes during the closing ceremony on July 27 at 5 p.m.
• Music performances are scheduled throughout the festival: Gramophone Music Band’s show kicks off festivities at Pulikkayam (July 25), followed by local artists (July 26), and Mersey Music Band performing Sunday evening in Elanthakadavu.
• Due to former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan’s death, a freestyle exhibition event slated for Thursday (July 24) was cancelled.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The Malabar River Festival serves as an notable highlight for adventure tourism in Kerala while showcasing local rivers as viable platforms for international sporting events like kayaking championships.In fostering community engagement through cultural performances alongside sports activities, it represents a balanced integration of ecology tourism with social entertainment aimed primarily to boost regional growth sustainably while drawing national talent along foreign competitors.

Moreover cancellation echoes pause Tributes leaders