As part of the year-long "Nazrul Year" celebrations declared by the government to honor National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, a two-day dance festival titled "Nazrul Dance Festival 2026" will kick off on September 12 at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

The event will be held at the National Music and Dance Auditorium of Shilpakala Academy, with performances scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM daily.

The festival will open with a discussion session featuring Minister for Cultural Affairs Nitai Roy Chowdhury as the chief guest, along with State Minister Ali Newaz Mahmud Khayam and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Information and Cultural Affairs Zahed Ur Rahman as special guests. The session will be presided over by the Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, while Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Director General Sheikh Rezauddin Ahmed (Rezauddin Stalin) will deliver the welcome address.

Following the discussion, the main dance performances will commence at 7:30 PM. Organizers noted that the festival aims to explore the themes of Nazrul’s poetry and music—including rhythm, emotion, love, rebellion, equality, and humanism—through contemporary dance language, establishing a creative dialogue with the poet’s multifaceted artistic legacy.

While the Academy has yet to release the official lineup of participating dancers and troupes, the two-day event will be open to the general public.