Children participating in the ‘Wings To The Dreams of Uttaraandhra’ beach walk organised by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) on Beach Road in Visakhapatnam on Friday.
| Photo Credit: K.R. DEEPAK
Visakhapatnam’s waterfront came alive with sporting events, cultural performances and public celebrations on Friday as the city geared up for the inauguration of the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport at Bhogapuram on Saturday. From Beach Road to Rushikonda Blue Flag Beach, the day-long festivities drew students, sportspersons, families and tourists as the city celebrated the region’s newest aviation gateway.
The celebrations began with the Bhogapuram Airport 5K Run, organised by the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP). A large number of participants took part in the run and cycling events conducted between The Park Hotel junction and Tenneti Park, with students, women, youth and amateur athletes joining the competitions.
The event also showcased emerging sporting talent. Sainik School students dominated the open boys’ running category, while trainees from the SAAP Cycling Academy in Visakhapatnam secured the top five positions in the cycling event. Students from various schools were among the leading finishers in the open girls’ category.
Visakhapatnam East MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, SAAP Chairman A. Ravi Naidu, Joint Collector G. Vidyadhari, District Sports Development Officer June Gallyot and other officials felicitated the winners. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ravi Naidu said the airport represented new opportunities for North Andhra and reiterated the importance of sports in nurturing discipline, confidence and leadership among young people.
As the day progressed, Beach Road continued to attract crowds as the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) organised ‘Uttarandhra Kalalaku Rekkalu’, featuring cultural performances and a beach walk. District Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore said the airport would strengthen connectivity and open new avenues for industrial growth and employment in North Andhra. The programme marked the culmination of a week-long series of celebrations held across the region ahead of the airport’s inauguration.
In a separate event, celebrations continued at Rushikonda Blue Flag Beach, where the Tourism Department organised a curtain-raiser featuring sand sculptures, tribal dances, kolatam, cultural performances and themed selfie points centred on the airport. A sand sculpture depicting the airport, accompanied by a message thanking farmers who had given land for the project, drew the attention of visitors.
Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh said improved connectivity through air, road, rail and sea transport would support tourism and create employment opportunities in the region.
Around 500 people attended the beach event, where performances by children and tribal artistes added colour to the celebrations, bringing to a close a day in which sport, culture and community participation converged along Visakhapatnam’s coastline ahead of the airport’s inauguration.
Published – August 01, 2026 01:01 am IST
