VIT founder and chancellor G. Viswanathan will unveil the details of the event on Tuesday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
‘Riviera 2026’, a four-day annual international sports and cultural festival organized by the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), will be held at its Vellore campus from February 26 to March 1.
Speaking to reporters, G. Viswanathan, Founder and Chancellor, VIT, said that the theme of this year’s event will be ‘Rise, Rush and Revel’, which will be the 23rd year since its inception in 2002. “This year, the festival will attract over 18,000 participants from over 136 major sports events, apart from foreign120 students from abroad will also participate,” he said.
Participating countries include Portugal, Sweden, Belgium, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Romania, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Peru, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Iran, Nepal and Malaysia. Former Indian cricketer Mithali Raj will inaugurate the ceremony on Thursday and actor Genelia Deshmukh will be the chief guest at the ceremony on Sunday.
The Proshow lineup feature includes a performance by playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan, who will perform on the inauguration day. Music composer Thaman S. will enthrall the audience on Friday.
Playback singers Benny Dayal and Pradeep Kumar will perform on the third day. Indie-electronic artist Ritviz and DJ Shaan will perform on Sunday.
“Riviera 2026” will feature an AI vs Humans competitive format through Grid Wars, glow-in-the-dark format sports through Pickle Royale: Lights Out, and a sustainable fashion competition in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
A new tiered Proshow Pass system was also introduced, offering Diamond, Gold and Silver categories. The festival includes a wide range of events, including music and dance competitions in solo, group and battle formats, cross-association literary and debating tournaments, esports and gaming tournaments.
There will also be fashion and design competitions focusing on sustainability topics. These include VIT Film Society’s CLIFF (Celluloid Indie Film Festival), a short film competition platform for budding student filmmakers; art and craft workshops across different categories; and strength and endurance sports competitions. The total prize for Riviera 2026 will exceed Rs 25 crore. Sankar Viswanathan and Sekar Viswanathan, Vice Presidents of VIT were present on the occasion.
Published – 24 Feb 2026 22:19 IST
