Dhaka, February 17, 2025: The one-month, 20-day Youth Festival, organized with the aim of building a new Bangladesh by energizing the power of youth in the country, is ending on Wednesday, February 19. The theme of the 'Youth Festival 2025', which began on December 30 last year, was 'Come and change the country, change the world.' This festival has been celebrated with great enthusiasm across the country around this theme. Through the Youth Festival, unity has been expressed among the youth and the principle of cooperation has been promoted. They have been motivated to develop themselves as an asset of the country by organizing self-employment as entrepreneurs.
This youth festival has been celebrated with the direct participation of youth of all classes and professions across the country, from villages to cities, from marginalized and backward to advanced areas, through small creative initiatives. Through this festival, social, economic, and environmental values have been promoted among all classes of youth from villages, cities, and the privileged and the deprived. Various activities have been taken to create awareness about the latent talents and unknown potentials that exist among the youth. These activities are working as a platform to inspire the youth.
Hundreds of youth festivals have been organized every day at the local level in various upazilas, districts and divisions. A total of 7,166,473 youth, including at least 2,742,171 women and 4,424,302 men, directly participated in these. Out of the total 13,711 events, 2,931 were sports and cultural events for women alone.
Under the supervision of the Sports Directorate, the District Sports Offices organized Under-17 football tournaments across the country, starting from the union level, upazila, district and divisional levels. These events included 855 matches for girls in which at least 25,600 girls participated. During the BPL, the BCB ran a zero waste campaign at various venues, which raised awareness among the youth on this issue.
As part of this festival, the Bangladesh Football Federation organized a day-long football competition in Sylhet with the participation of tea workers and Khasia communities, beach football in Cox's Bazar, U-15 football tournaments in 64 districts, amputee football festival, a 4-day training to create interest in football among underprivileged female footballers in three hill districts, a football festival in the char areas of Sirajganj, a friendly football match with young diplomats from various embassies in Dhaka, etc.
Bangladesh Cricket Board organized the Bangladesh Premier League, BPL Music Fest at 3 venues, National School Cricket Tournament with the participation of 350 schools, Inter-University Cricket Tournament with the participation of 56 universities, etc.
The Bangladesh Archery Federation organized an open archery competition in 6 districts and at the national level at the Paltan Maidan in Dhaka, the Bangladesh Taekwondo Federation organized a taekwondo competition in Dhaka with the participation of 400 men and women, and taekwondo displays in Dhaka and Cox's Bazar, children and teenagers' taekwondo competitions, and the Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation organized a knockout-based youth kabaddi (under-18 boys and girls) competition from the union level to the national level across the country. All 56 sports federations and associations active in the country organized various events around this festival.
In addition, activities such as local and rural games such as Kabaddi, Dariabandha, Bauchi, Gollachut, Kite Flying Festival, Roller Skating, Cycling, Sixers Cricket Tournament, Mini Marathon, Sports Competition for Children with Special Needs, Organization of Folk Cultural Programs, Karupanya Mela and Pitha Festival, Nazrul Sangeet Sandhya, Graffiti and Painting Competition on July-36, Story Telling of Martyrs, Debate Competition, Essay Competition, Quiz Competition, Book Reading, Recitation, Spelling Competition, Presented Speech, Discussion Program, Science Quiz, Programming Competition, Publication of Wall Magazine, Digital Literacy Campaign, Distribution of Winter Clothes, Tree Planting, Cleanliness Campaign, Formation of Zero Waste Brigade, Awareness and Workshop on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer, Youth Entrepreneur Gathering, Free Primary Health Care Camp etc. have been conducted as part of this festival.
To make the youth festival participatory and lively, young students of the university are involved in this festival. This youth festival is celebrated in a very joyful atmosphere in various public and private universities including Dhaka University. A youth entrepreneur fair, youth rally, debate on entrepreneurship development, case competition, international nutrition Olympiad, discussion program, pitha festival, cultural evening and youth concert are held at the Dhaka University playground. Other public universities also take up similar programs.
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs took various initiatives to raise environmental awareness at various venues during the festival.
This festival has been celebrated with the participation of all the society through a coordinated initiative of all government and private stakeholders. Under the direct supervision of the Office of the Chief Advisor, under the management of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, with the joint participation of all the concerned ministries, divisions, offices, organizations, sports organizations and at the local level, the divisional administration, district administration and upazila administration, 'Tarunyar Utsab 2025' plays a significant role in spreading the message of the new day.
The Youth Festival officially kicked off on December 1, 2024 with a media launch and logo unveiling.
Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, Advisor to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Convener of the National Committee for the Celebration of the Youth Festival, inaugurated the Youth Festival. Later, the countdown to the Youth Festival began simultaneously across the country, which ended at midnight on December 29. 25 ministries and divisions, 23 offices and organizations at different levels, worked together to successfully implement the Youth Festival. The Youth Festival was also widely celebrated in 80 missions of Bangladesh located abroad with the participation of expatriate Bangladeshis.
