A record turnout of around 15 lakh visitors is expected in the third edition of Dwijing Festival on the banks of the Aie river in Chirang district of Assam from December 27 to January 7.

The venue is near the Hagrama bridge on the Chapaguri-Malivita road, leading to the Bhutan border. It is a three-hour drive from here and 15km from New Bongaigaon station.

A curtain-raiser, held here on Wednesday, was attended by tourism minister Chandan Brahma and Assam Tourism Development Corporation chairman Jayanta Malla Baruah. An ad jingle on the festival was also released.

The festival started as Aie River Festival in 2016-17 to promote river tourism in the rural areas under the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). Last year, its name was changed to “Dwijing (river bank in Bodo language)”.

A galaxy of stars, including Kailash Kher, Amit Trivedi, Malaika Arora Khan, Himesh Reshammiya, Neeraj Sridhar, Bhoomi Trivedi, Shweta Pandit and Great Khali, will perform during the festival.

“The third Dwijing Festival will be held as a calendar tourism festival organised by Assam Tourism and Bodoland Tourism. We have done everything to popularise it. National and foreign tourists will enjoy the river festival, which will feature ethnic food and culture, adventure sports and ethnic games,” Baruah said.

“There will be joyrides on helicopters, hot air balloons and speedboats for adventure-seekers. We are expecting around 15 lakh visitors from the country and abroad. This kind of festival leads to economic development of the surrounding areas. We will also develop other festivals like Judima and Umrangso, so that people from around the world come to participate.”

Baruah said though the festival is being supported by the state government, he wanted it to be self-sustaining. He said ticket prices would compensate for the expenditure incurred.

Brahma said accommodations would be available in nearby towns of Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon. Tents at the venue can be booked online.