26th National Youth Festival: Empowering the Youth of India

January 11, 2023 February 4, 2024

The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, in collaboration with the Government of Karnataka, is organizing the 26th National Youth Festival from January 12th to 16th in Hubballi-Dharwad, Karnataka. The theme of this year’s festival is “Viksit Yuva Viksit Bharat,” which aims to empower the youth of India and promote their active participation in shaping the country’s future.

The festival will commence with an inaugural function that is expected to be attended by more than 30,000 youth from across the country. The Prime Minister of India will share his vision for the future with the young attendees, providing them with an opportunity to engage with the country’s leaders and policymakers.

Learning Activities

During the five-day event, over 7500 youth delegates, who are recognized leaders in their respective fields of activity, will come together to participate in a variety of learning activities. These activities will include discussions on relevant themes such as student-centric governance and Digital India, as well as exhibitions of traditional sports and competitive cultural events like folk dance and folk song.

Adventure Sports

In addition to the learning activities, the festival will also include a wide range of adventure sports, including scuba diving, providing young people with an opportunity to experience new and exciting challenges.

Youth Summit

One of the highlights of the festival will be the Youth Summit, which will provide a platform for two-way discussions on various themes, including the future of work, industry, innovation, and 21st century skills, climate change and disaster risk reduction, peacebuilding and reconciliation, shared future-youth in democracy and governance, and health and well-being.

Many of the events at the festival will be live streamed across the nation, allowing crores of young people to engage with the festival and its activities, despite not being able to attend in person.

Green Festival

This year, the festival is being celebrated as a Green Youth Festival, where only reusable cutlery, napkins, and other materials are being used. All mementos, medals, and stationery are made of reusable materials, and water refilling stations have been set up to reduce the use of disposables.