Tiruchirappalli, 29 September, 2026 – The National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, concluded the 52nd edition of Festember, its annual cultural festival, held from 25 to 27 September 2026. Over three days the campus hosted more than 10,000 participants from over 70 institutions across the country, who competed in close to sixty events spread across twelve clusters. Sastra emerged as the Overall Champion.

Festember ’26 was presented by Title Partner Coca-Cola and Co-Title Partner Toyota, with Incredible India as Patron. The festival was further supported by realme, Indian Oil, Marriott, City Union Bank, Think Music and Recal, among a host of valued partners.

Inauguration

The festival was inaugurated on the eve of the celebrations, 24 September, at Barn Hall. Dr. Mallikarjuna, Faculty Advisor, delivered the welcome address. Mr. Sriram R, Chairperson of Festember ’26, then presented the highlights of this edition. Dr. Justin Josephus, Dean of Students’ Welfare, addressed the gathering, and Dr. G. Aghila, Director of NIT Tiruchirappalli, gave the presidential address. Dr. M. Venkata Kirthiga, Faculty Advisor, introduced the chief guests: Shri Rahul Raghavan, IAS, Assistant Collector, and Shri K. S. Chandrasekaran, a distinguished alumnus of the Civil Engineering batch of 1978. Both shared words of encouragement with the students. The ceremony closed with performances by the institute’s Music and Dance Troupes.

Where Talent Took Centre Stage

The competitions reflected both the range and the depth of the festival. The literary clusters ran in English, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu. Participants contested quizzes such as the Major General Quiz and the India Quiz, and debating and oratory events including Debate, Vaad Vivad and Just A Minute. The regional language events, among them Uyarthani Semmozhi, Sakalakala Vallavan and Telugu Talkies, drew particularly spirited participation.

The performing arts clusters of Music, Shrutilaya, Dance and Dramatics filled the venues from morning to evening. Choreonite, Tarangini, the Eastern and Western Solo competitions, Theatrix and Improv were among the most keenly contested events.

The Arts, Photography and Fashion clusters presented Fashionitas, Wall Painting, Body Art, Sketch-a-thon, Macro Photography and Mr. and Ms. Festember. The Gaming cluster held competitive tournaments in Valorant, FIFA and Battle Zone. Alongside the competitions, the festival offered hands-on workshops and a lively series of informal events for the students.

Stars Light Up the Campus

The guest lecture series brought the film industry to campus. Actor Vasanth Ravi opened the series with “Carpe Diem,” a reflection on seizing opportunity that resonated with his young audience.

“Opus Luminaire” brought together Gowtham Sivaraman, Surabhe Selvan, Abishan Jeevinth, Yogalakshmi and Gaana Vinoth for an engaging session promoting their film Picasso.

The cast and crew of “See U”, comprising Kishen Das, Zemen, Arun, Akshaya and Santosh, chose Festember to release the film’s second single. They followed the release with a live performance that was received with great enthusiasm.

Director Karthik Subbaraj also visited the campus with Sananth and Rishikanth to promote Dorothy, drawing one of the largest audiences of the festival.

Three Nights, Countless Memories

The proshows gave each night its own character. On the first night, Think Music presented Electric RockNite, featuring DJ Lash with singers Prithvi, Tamizh and Rudh, in a vibrant opening to the evening programme.

On the second night, Red Bull Directions brought DJ Kiara and DJ Shaan to GJCH for an evening of unrelenting energy.

The final night belonged to Ms. Chinmayi Sripada. Before a humongous and enthusiastic audience, she delivered a performance of rare warmth and brilliance, and the students sang along to every song, giving an amazing close to Festember’26.

A grand fireworks display lit up the campus skies. Food stalls, merchandise and a wide array of stalls sustained the festive spirit throughout all three days.

A Triumphant Finale

As the final chapter of this year’s medieval fantasy drew near, the festival gathered once more for its Valediction Ceremony. The evening was graced by the Faculty Advisors of Festember ’26, Dr. Mallikarjuna and Dr. M. Venkata Kirthiga, Dr. R. Justin Joseyphus, Dean of Students’ Welfare and Dr. Sreejith, Associate Dean of Students’ Welfare. The ceremony commenced with the Tamizh Thai Vazhthu.

Dr. Mallikarjuna delivered the welcome address, followed by a series of reports that recounted the journey of the edition. Mr. Ashwath, Cultural Secretary, presented the Cultural Report. Mr. Rohan Ganapathy, Head of Marketing, presented the Marketing Report, and Mr. Anirudh, Head of Media Relations, presented the Media Report. Mr. Mohanavelu of Alumni and Social Relations then shared the year’s outreach and engagement initiatives. Dr. R. Justin Joseyphus then addressed the gathering, after which mementos were presented to the dignitaries and Faculty Advisors in appreciation of their guidance.

The evening reached its crescendo with the presentation of the Festember Overall Trophy. Dr. R. Justin Joseyphus conferred the title of Overall Champions of Festember ’26 upon Sastra, whose talent and unwavering spirit had carried them to a hard earned triumph. Mr. Sundara Valliappan, Treasurer of Festember ’26, proposed the Vote of Thanks, and the ceremony concluded with the National Anthem.

Fifty-two editions on, Festember remains a celebration of talent, culture and community. The organising committee extends its gratitude to every participant, guest, sponsor and volunteer whose contribution made this edition a memorable one.