For the first time, Bangladesh Cultural Festival 2016 begins today at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA). The 18 day (January 1-18) long cultural festival, aiming to build an artistically and culturally rich, creative and humanistic Bangladesh, will take place at Nandanmancha.

Organised by BSA, the festival is being participated by the artistes of all the District Shilpakala Academies. Performances of music, dance, recitation, acting and traditional folk presentation of every district, will start everyday at 4:30pm.

Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor will inaugurate the festival today at 4:30pm while ambidextrous writer Syed Shamsul Haque will attend as special guest. BSA secretary Jahangir Hossain Chowdhury will deliver welcome address while BSA director general Liaquat Ali Lucky will preside over the programme.

A press conference was held in this regard at BSA on December 30. Among others, Liaquat Ali Lucky said, "Earlier we have organised theatre festival, participated by the artistes of BSA. This year, we are holding Bangladesh cultural festival so that an artistic competition prevails among the artistes of the entire District Shilpakala Academy."