Gangtok, Nov. 26: From boogie-woogie to traditional dance, the Mangan Music Festival will have it all.

The North district headquarters is gearing up to host the three-day festival, which will kick off on December 29. The event is being held with the intention of popularising the town and placing it on the tourist itinerary.

?Music and dance will be the core activities at the event, but food and game stalls will add spice to the proceedings,? said zilla adhakshya (North) Lobzang Tenzing.

The festival, which is fast emerging as Sikkim?s Woodstock, is now looking to establish itself as an annual event. It began in 2003 when residents got together to celebrate the town?s centenary.

Mangan was founded in 1903 by local landlord and explorer Rinzing Namgyal as a ration outpost for British troops during Colonel Younghusband?s incursion into Tibet through Lachen in north Sikkim.

The town has since grown to become the headquarters of North district and a primary business centre for the large cardamom trade.

Tourism has also picked up in the town, which offers a panoramic view of the eastern face of Kangchenjunga. Trekking routes have been opened recently with Mangan as a base for east-bound treks towards the beautiful Tosar Lake at the base of the Chola Range and northwest towards the foot of the Kangchenjunga.

Around 20 bands from various parts of the Northeast, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Dharamsala and Sikkim had participated in the first Music Festival in 2003.

Cash prizes will be awarded to winners of the contests.