4 Aug 2009, 0037 hrs IST

Kerala News: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Pageantry, Food festival and cultural programmes are some of the main events planned by the state tourism department as part of Tourism week celebrations, organised in connection with Onam Festival, State Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said.

The celebrations would start on September 1 with cultural programme and Malayalam actor Mohan Lal would be honoured on his appointment as Lt Colonel in Territorial Army, Balakrishnan told reporters here yesterday.

Cultural programmes depicting various traditional and folk dances of the state would be held in 15 different venues and a spectacular pageantry to be held here on September 7 would be final event of week-long celebrations, he said.

The celebrations would incur a total expenditure of Rs.1.50 crore. Similar cultural events would be organised in district head-quarters also, he added.