The penultimate day of the Kerala State School Arts Festival on Saturday saw the biggest crowds yet. Over 10,000 people gathered at Thekkinkadu Maidan for the highly contested Group Dance event in the HSS category. Meanwhile, large crowds also filled Chaldean Syrian HSS to watch the intense Drama competition. The electrifying head-to-head battles added excitement and pulled huge audiences. Group Dance performances included diverse themes, such as Operation Sindoor and a tribute to Balamani, a character from the 2002 film Nandanam. Notably, Navya Nair, who played Balamani, was once a dance competition winner at the festival. Drama fans enjoyed a rich lineup featuring Bharatanatyam, Chavittu Natakam, Kathakali, Mono Act, Kolkali, Kerala Nadanam, Folk Dance, Kuchipudi, Vanchipattu, and Thayambaka. Tribal dances like Irula Nrutham and Paliya Nrutham also attracted a good crowd. As the festival moves to its final day, Kannur district leads the Gold Cup race with 955 points. Host and defending champion Thrissur is close behind with 950 points. Palakkad, Kozhikode, and Kollam follow in close contention with 947, 946, and 917 points respectively.