The Darjeeling MELOtea FEST, which attracts international performers and runners, is set to be rescheduled after chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her desire to be part of the programme.

The festival, organised by Darjeeling police, was scheduled for December 18 to 22. The coming edition of the festival will be organised in collaboration with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

Inaugurating a handicraft mela of self-help groups at Chowrasta here on Wednesday, Mamata said she would revisit Darjeeling to celebrate Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary.

“At that time, the cultural festival organised by the police and the GTA will also be held. The marathon will also be held then. Darjeeling is internationally famous and I will be happy if we can further promote the place,” said Mamata.

Netaji's birthday falls on January 23.

Kee Marcello, a former member of the Swedish band Europe, whose anthemic song, The Final Countdown, took the world by storm was scheduled to perform at the festival.

Apart from Marcello, bands like Darjeeling-based Mantra, Kathmandu’s Kutumba, Nagaland-based About Us and Sikkim’s Girish and The Chronicles were slated to perform.

The MELOtea FEST will also have English and Nepali band competitions with a whopping prize pool of ₹24.5 lakh. The first prizes in the competitions will be ₹6 lakh each.

The GTA is also planning to introduce day hiking in 13 places across the hills and adopt villagers to provide an authentic experience of the culture and tradition of the place during the festival. Art and movie festivals have also been lined up.

Sources said Mamata had expressed her interest in taking part in the festival while holding an administrative meeting in Darjeeling on Tuesday.

The chief minister on Wednesday also named four newborn red pandas as Pahadia, Hilly, Dream and Victory, and two snow leopard cubs as Charming and Darling. The animals were born at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (PNHZP) in Darjeeling in June and July.