Year round various events and festivals take place in the Institute, like the Department Fests, Society Events and the best of all Spring Fest, the annual Socio-Cultural Fest and Kshitij, the annual Techno Management Fest. These fests and events are conducted all-round the year to give students a change in their daily routine of classes, assignments, tests and labs. The events and festivals encourage the students to think in a practical way, do something innovative and most of all enhance their knowledge and have loads of fun. The various societies also conduct events round the year, to promote, practice and preach their culture. The society events are also aimed at encouraging students to do something different and to improve their skills in the areas of their interest. Some examples include Robosoccer conducted by the Technology Robotix Society, various plays conducted by the Dramatics Societies, shows conducted by the Music societies, etc. In January the Entrepreneurship Cell organizes a Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which consists of guest lectures, workshops, a start-up camp and other events relating to entrepreneurship and startups. In October end, Space Technology Students' Society at IIT Kharagpur organized the National Students' Space Challenge, the first space-science and engineering series of national-level competitions for students in India.
Spring Fest - Currently in its 55th edition, the annual social and cultural festival - Spring Fest has been celebrating the true spirit of youth for over five decades, growing bigger and better with every passing year. A perfect blend of fun and frolic, of excitement and ecstasy, of devotion and dedication, Spring Fest is a celebration with a responsibility. A splendid platform for the spectacular display of the diverse talents of today's youth, Spring Fest always has an underlying social theme.
Kshitij - With over 40 events, encompassing varied fields of science, technology and management, Kshitij, the annual techno-management fest of IIT Kharagpur, invites students from all around the globe to put their ingenuity and aptitude to test at an unparalleled level of competition. The largest fest of its kind in all of Asia, offers its participants a wide spectrum of events to prove their mettle, while the huge amount of prize money is reflective of the grandeur of the same. Quality of our events was soon noticed by top notch international organizations like ASME, IMechE, ACM and IEEE and they continue their association with us. Gaining patronage from UNESCO for the third time consecutively reflects the kind of impact Kshitij has made on today's student community. Comprehensive workshops by industrial pioneers, gives inimitable insight to the practical realm. Pedagogic and inspirational guest lectures from renowned scientists and eminent personalities; phenomenal exhibitions from various parts of world makes young talents acquainted with latest technical advancements.
Illumination - known as Illu, is a festival unique to IIT Kharagpur. It is inspired from the day of Diwali (the festival of lights) and is usually held on the day of Diwali itself. It is held as a competition among student halls. As part of the Illumination festival, all halls build vertical panels of bamboo (called Chatais) on which thousands of lamps (diyas) are mounted forming outlines of people or things; illustrating an event, or a place of importance. The chatais may reach a height of 6 metres , with nearly 20,000 lighted lamps. The lamps on the chatais are lighted with all other light sources switched off, to showcase the art-panels made by the flickering lamps. On the same day as Illumination, the Rangoli Competition is organised as an inter-hall event. Rangolis of exquisite detail and shading - measuring around 3.5 by 3.5 metres are constructed using coloured powders, crushed bangles, and pebbles. Interplay of light and shadow and ambient music are part of the display.