A feast for the senses through food and entertainment awaits visitors over the next three days at the first edition of the The Telegraph Food Festival, set to take off at the Sonaram field here from 11am on Friday.

Nearly 50 stalls are being set up by top-notch hoteliers and restaurant owners offering varied cuisine to the festival-goers. Everything from ethnic food like Nagamese to mainland Indian will be available for foodies.

“Bakery items, ice cream, special kinds of tea, health food, chaats and other street food will be on offer. We want the festival to be a memorable one for the visitors and different kinds of food and entertainment are being offered for all sections of visitors,” said an official of Gateway Institute of Hotel Management (GIHM), which is curating the culinary contest that will follow the inaugural function.

The contest is open to amateur cooks, with cash prizes to incentivise the winners.

This is the first food festival by The Telegraph in the Northeast, billed as the biggest carnival of feasting, where food and fun will go hand-in-hand: food from different regions and fun through activities and shows. The three-day event is managed by city-based Mubadara Services.

The day will start with the inaugural function, graced by Bangladesh assistant high commissioner and head of mission in Guwahati Dr Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur, Assam Tourism Development Corporation managing director Bhaskar Phukan, former Ranji captain and coach Zakaria Zuffri and actress Zerifa Wahid.

Workshops on cake-making, dimsum cooking, barbecue and grill, biryani, oil-free cooking and mocktails by experts in the respective field have been organised to draw the guests.

In addition to its core theme, there will be a slew of contests like DJ War, a contest for disc jockeys, Rap Showcase, an exhibition and competition of rap artistes from the region and NE band hunt, where 12 bands from the region will battle it out for prize money amounting to Rs 50,000. A Live DJ performance has also been lined up on the inaugural evening where a number of established as well as aspiring disc jockeys will be seen in action. Live rock band performances on the second day will have renowned bands taking the stage like Pranjal Medhi and Dikshita while the final day will have performances by Pollengers, Risky Biscuits and Lady Midday.

There will a dance contest on the second day. Dance-o-Holic will have contestants displaying their moves in modern and hip-hop dance styles.

Children will compete in a Go-as-you-like contest at the Kids Fashion Show on the final day. A nail art workshop has also been added to the fare at the festival, added an organising team member.