Kannur hosts the 57th edition of School Arts Festival of Kerala, also known as Kerala School Kalolsavam. This is an annual event conducted by the state government of Kerala, featuring several art competitions for high school and higher secondary school students of Kerala. The festival was started in 1956, and till 2008, it was called as “Kerala State School Youth Festival”. The participants are students from classes 8th to 12th. Winners from different revenue districts for a particular event will be competing in state level competition. The event is usually conducted in December–January months of a year and is considered to be the biggest cultural event of Asia.
Kerala School Kalolsavam is a festival unique in its structure and organisation. The organisational set up from school level to state level for the conduct of the Kalolsavam is monitored by Education Department as per the manual drafted by experts in the field. In a Nut Shell, School Kalolsavam is a Kaleidoscope of Kerala’s young talent in the field of Art and Literature. Each year the venue of the Kalolsavam is changed from one District to another to ensure the participation of the people throughout the state.
Kannur is the cultural capital of North Kerala and many organisations here are active supporters of cultural events that are conducted here. Itoozhi Ayurveda which is based out of Kannur, is a pioneer in Ayurvedic medicine and actively supports the event, by ensuring that all candidates are whole heartedly assisted in all possible ways during the event.