CHENNAI: The VIT will host its annual cultural festival, Riviera 2026, from February 26 (Thursday) to March 1. The four-day event carries the theme ‘Rise. Rush. Revel’ and is expected to have more than 18,000 participants, including over 1,000 students from other colleges, with prize money over Rs 25 lakh.
Over 120 international students from 28 countries will join the special multicultural event called INFUSION. A group of 33 students and two teachers from Italy has already arrived on campus.
VIT Chancellor G Viswanathan said that Riviera began in 2002 and this year was its 23rd edition. “In the pre-Riviera phase, over 20 events were held, including three premium ones. Sports events happened in both pre and main phases. Pre-Riviera sports ran from February 3-13, and main sports will continue till February 27. There are 14 pre-Riviera sports events and 12 main ones. Excluding sports, there are 136 main events and 16 premium events,” he explained.
This year, special sports events for disabled children were held on February 19. The festival starts with a marathon on February 26. Main events include more than 100 regular contests and over 20 premium ones.
“More than 60 VIT clubs, chapters and societies are taking part. New attractions this year are Grid Wars (AI vs humans competition), Pickle Royale: Lights Out (glow-in-the-dark games), sustainable fashion events linked to UN Sustainable Development Goals, and a new tiered Proshow Pass system with Diamond, Gold and Silver options,” he added.
The programme covers solo and group music and dance competitions, literary and debate events, Esports, regular sports, sustainable fashion and design contests, the CLIFF short-film festival by the VIT Film Society, and many fine-arts and craft workshops.