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Rann Utsav 2025-26, the annual cultural festival in Gujarat's Kutch district, has officially begun at Dhordo in the White Rann desert, inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on December 5, 2025.
About
- The festival runs from October 23, 2025, to March 4, 2026, at Dhordo in the Great Rann of Kutch, transforming the salt desert into a luxury tent township during winter months.
- Dhordo village, host to the event, earned recognition as one of the UNWTO's 54 Best Tourism Villages in 2023 for its cultural heritage and banni hospitality.​
- Origin: Conceived by Narendra Modi as Gujarat's Chief Minister post-2001 earthquake reconstruction; started as a 3-day event in 2005, now a major tourism festival organized by Gujarat Tourism at Dhordo's tent city.​
- Key Attractions: Features folk music, dances, crafts, camel safaris, food courts, shopping, spa/yoga centers; highlights include full moon nights (e.g., Nov 4-6, Dec 3-5, 2025) when the white desert glows.​
- Visitor Scale: Attracts over 500,000 visitors annually; tent city has 350+ tents across 9 clusters, using 15,000 tons of materials rebuilt yearly.​
- Cultural Significance: Showcases Kutch's ethnic heritage, biodiversity (flooded grasslands), history from Indus Valley to ancient empires; promotes local artisans and communities.​
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