Elaborate preparations are under way for Kanakagiri Utsav-2026 scheduled to be held on Saturday and Sunday at Kanakagiri in Koppal district, Deputy Commissioner Suresh B. Itnal said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference at the district administration complex, Mr. Itnal, who is also the chairman of the Kanakagiri Utsav celebration committee, said that the festival is being organised jointly by the district administration and the Department of Kannada and Culture to showcase the historical and cultural heritage of Kanakagiri.

As part of the celebrations, volleyball, kabaddi and wrestling competitions will be held on Thursday and Friday.

On Saturday, a grand procession featuring around 40 folk and cultural troupes will be taken out from Eduru Hanumappa Temple to Kanakachalapathi Temple.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is expected to inaugurate the festival at 6.30 p.m. on Saturday. Invitations have been extended to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Ministers, MPs, MLAs and other dignitaries, he said.

The first day of the festival will feature performances by actor Srimurali, singer Sanchit Hegde, Savari Band and the DKD dance troupe.

The valedictory ceremony will be held at 6.30 p.m. on Sunday.

Actor Daali Dhananjaya, actress Sapthami Gowda, music director and singer Arjun Janya, singers Sadhwini Koppa and Aishwarya Rangaraj will participate in the cultural programmes on the concluding day.

A play “Kuhu” will be staged.

Mr. Itnal said that an attractive drone show on the lines of the Mysuru Dasara celebrations will be organised on both days of the festival.

Decorative illumination across Kanakagiri town and helicopter rides for visitors will be among the special attractions, he added.

“Cultural programmes will be held on the main stage named after Raja Udachappa Nayaka and a subsidiary stage named after Jayatirtha Rajapurohit. A seminar on Kanakagiri Heritage and Progress will be held on Saturday, while a conference on Challenges Faced by Women in Contemporary Times will be organised on Sunday. Poetry recitation by poets is also part of the festival schedule,” Mr. Itnal said.

Appealing to the public to participate in large numbers, Mr. Itnal said that arrangements have been made for food and transportation for visitors.

Book stalls by the Karnataka Book Authority, exhibitions by various government departments showcasing welfare schemes, handicrafts stalls by self-help groups and fruit and flower exhibitions by the Horticulture Department will be organised as part of the festival, he said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Sidrameshwar and Assistant Commissioner Captain Mahesh Malagitti were present at the press conference.