The three-day festival at Wards Lake highlights indigenous skills, ecological design and Meghalaya’s living cultural heritage

Winter Tales 2025 opened on Thursday at Wards Lake in Shillong, marking the start of a three-day celebration of indigenous craft, music, food and community-led creativity. Now in its sixth edition, the festival is organised by The Meghalayan Age under the Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, and will run until 13 December.

This year’s theme, Nurture, highlights the links between land, tradition and community. The festival draws on the image of five fingers to show how hands preserve knowledge, build livelihoods and sustain cultural memory across the state.

Tourism Minister Timothy D Shira inaugurated the event with a walkthrough alongside artisans and entrepreneurs, followed by a performance by the Kner Sha Ki children’s choir. Speaking at the opening, Shira described Winter Tales as more than a festival, calling it a cultural movement shaped by the skills of local communities. He said the theme captured the spirit of Meghalaya, where hands create, cook, build and carry forward the craft traditions of earlier generations. “For us in Meghalaya, culture is not something that exists only on stage. It lives in the hands of the artisan,” he said.

Shira also underlined the festival’s commitment to sustainability through its use of bamboo, jute, clay and other natural materials. He said Winter Tales demonstrated how local knowledge, community participation and ecological design could work together, and assured continued government support for creative work within the state.

Visitors on the opening day saw performances by content creator Paduh Aki and the Shillong Cosplay Community. The workshop stage hosted book launches and discussions on culture, nutrition and waste management, including the release of ‘From Shillong to Saigon: Market Places as Crossroads of Culture’ by the Northeast India AV Archive.

The first Go Green Awards were presented to recognise community-led environmental practices. Nicholas J Kharnami received the Green Ambassador Award, while Iaineshkhem SHG, the Eco Club of LEADS Higher Secondary School and Joshua Rayner Lyngdoh were honoured across other categories.

The festival will continue through the weekend with art sessions, culinary demonstrations, storytelling, photography workshops and performances by local bands. An artisanal market featuring textiles, bamboo craft, pottery and regional cuisine remain a central attraction, reflecting Winter Tales’ focus on local sourcing and sustainable design.