Siliguri, Dec. 21: The town will have an extended New Year celebration this time with the Siliguri Natyamela slated to start here on January 2. The weeklong fest will be inaugurated by theatre personality Rudraprasad Sengupta at Dinabandhu Mancha.

“The festival this year is dedicated to former mayor Bikash Ghosh and Amal Chakraborty, a noted actor from Siliguri who passed away recently. It will also mark the birth anniversary of writer Manik Bandyopadhaya,” said Asok Bhattacharya, the urban development minister and the chief patron of the festival.

Theatre lovers will get to see productions by Harimadhav Mukhopadhaya, Ramaprasad Banik, Gautam Halder along with others. The groups that will take part in the fest are Thoughts Arena, Little Thespian, People’s Little Theatre, Rangpat, Gandhar, Chetna and Barasat Anusilani.