2nd National Lighthouse Festival held across Nation’s 75 Lighthouse

The 2nd National Lighthouse Festival will be observed across the country's 75 historic Lighthouses on 19 and 20 October 2024. To mark the start of the Festival, a Lighthouse Tourism Conclave 2024 was held in Puri, Odisha, on 19 October 2024.

The first National Lighthouse Festival was held from September 23 to 25, 2023, at 75 historic lighthouses across the country.

Who inaugurated the Lighthouse Tourism Conclave 2024? 

The Lighthouse Tourism Conclave 2024  was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shantanu Thakur, on 19 October 2024. 

During the inaugural session, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas & Tourism, Suresh Gopi, and Odisha Deputy Chief Minister, Mrs Pravati Parida, were also present.

Who organises the National Lighthouse Festival? 

The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways organise the ‘National Lighthouse Festival.  

What is the aim of the National Lighthouse Festival?

The main aim of the National Lighthouse Festival is to:

• To transform 75 historic lighthouses in the country into a tourist site with modern amenities such as museums, amphitheatres, children’s parks, etc.
• Promote the conservation and preservation of these historic maritime Lighthouses.
• Generation of local employment and boosting the local economy.

According to the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships, around Rs 65 crore has been invested in 75 iconic lighthouses in 9 coastal states and 1 Union Territory. 

About Lighthouse 

Lighthouses are permanent structures built on sea shore, rocks, or on the seabed. The Lighthouse has a beacon on the top of its structure. The beacon emits a focussed light, which is used to warn ships approaching the dangerous areas of the sea. Many of the lighthouses are also equipped with fog horns that sound high pitch warnings to passing ships in dangerous areas of the sea in dense fog. 

Lighthouses are also used to navigate the ships in or out of the harbours safely.