The 17th UKM National Arts Festival wrapped up on November 7 at Cheltenham Cleeve School in Gloucestershire, and the Midlands Region walked away with the overall title after racking up 195 points. Yorkshire and Humber Region followed in second with 143 points, while North West Region claimed third with 98 points. The event, modeled on Kerala’s State School Kalolsavam, drew hundreds of participants, parents, teachers and art lovers from across seven UK regions.
Competitions kicked off at 9:30 AM sharp across seven venues, a detail organizers say kept the day running smoothly. In the association rankings, Warwick and Leamington Malayali Association topped the table with 89 points. East Yorkshire Cultural Organization took second with 55 points, and Leicester Kerala Community finished third with 45 points. Manchester Malayali Association and Sheffield Kerala Cultural Association tied for fourth at 41 points each.
Individual honors went to Amaya Krishna Nidheesh from Warwick and Leamington, who earned the Kalathilakam title with 15 points. The Kalaprathibha award ended in a tie — Karan Jayashankar Shelton from Bedford Marston Kerala Association and Anson Binoi from Hereford Malayali Association both scored 8 points. Aishwarya Vinu Nair of Coventry Kerala Community won Natyamayooram with 13 points, while Dion Tiju of IMA Banbury and Anne Treesa Jobi of Wigan Malayali Association shared Bhashakesari honors at 6 points each.
Age-category champions included Sera Maria Jayalesh of Manchester Malayali Association in the Kids division, Amaya Krishna Nidheesh again in Sub-Juniors, Amaya Abhishek of Warwick and Leamington in Juniors, and Aishwarya Vinu Nair in Seniors. Forty-six events spanned five age groups, covering music, dance, literature and other art forms. Participants qualified by placing first or second at regional festivals held earlier across the UK.
The festival’s structure — from staggered scheduling to stage management — mirrored the Kerala template closely, turning the Gloucestershire venue into a slice of home for the diaspora. Awards ceremonies began at 8 PM after main-stage events concluded at 7:15 PM. For many attendees, the day wasn’t just about trophies. It was about keeping a cultural rhythm alive thousands of miles from its origin.
