The department of Tourism is organising International Kite & Sweet Festival coinciding with Makar Sankranthi from January 13 to 15 at Parade Grounds, Secunderabad to showcase the rich heritage, culture of the Telangana State. Speaking to the media at Secretariat here on Wednesday, Minister for Tourism Jupally Krishna Rao said the kite festival will have participation from 19 countries like Indonesia, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Portugal, Vietnam, Malaysia, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, Algeria, Singapore, Russia, Ukraine & France having (40) International & (55) National kite flyers from 15 states in India. 

He stated that a special night-flying event is scheduled on three days and different types of kites with huge sizes will be flown during the festival. Various cultural programmes depicting Telangana traditional culture will be organised for promoting the local culture of the State, he said. The Minister stated that around 100 handloom & handicraft stalls and 60 food courts with Telangana & other cuisines will be erected at the venue to relish the various cuisines of Telangana. 

In addition, the International Sweets festival will be organised in association with Culture Language Indian Connections (CLIC) where large number of various sweets prepared in homes by Hyderabadi residents who originally hail from other states & countries will showcase during the said festival featured with more than 1,200 varieties of sweets  Jupally Krishna Rao  further stated that the  department of Tourism is also organising Hot Air Balloon Festival from January 16-18, 2026, featuring 15 international standard balloons which will be arriving from European countries. 

He stated that the event will be organised on the outskirts of Hyderabad in the morning session and in evening session at Parade Grounds with drone show 2026. Jupally Krishna Rao said the department of Tourism is also organising a special drone show on January 16 and 17 at Gachibowli Stadium with high-tech drones, multi-colour LED lights and aerial manoeuvres, representing India’s leap from cultural heritage to modern innovation in aerial sports. 

The event will feature a full LED-lit racecourse spanning the stadium field with FPV (First Person View) video feeds on giant screens for immersive viewing, soccer playing by drones and Telangana destinations will be showcased. "The state government is implementing a range of initiatives to enhance tourism in Telangana. In pursuit of this goal, a variety of events, such as the kite and the sweet festival, are being organised. I have encouraged citizens to visit local tourist attractions at least once a month to support tourism and foster local employment," stated Jupally Krishna Rao.