[2] The main highlight of the carnival is the massive procession on the New Year's Day, led by elephants in ornamental trappings.

[6] In 1984, three youngsters from Kochi - Ananda Felix Scaria (Ananda Surya), George Augustine Thundiparambil (Roy) and Antony Anup Scaria (Anoop) decided to organise a beach festival with a programme at the Fort Kochi beach to celebrate the signing of a UN proclamation mandating 1985 as the International Youth Year.

[8][9] This program started during the second week of December 1984 with a cycle race followed by other local ethnic games like kabaddi, tug of war, kalari, kuttiyum kolum, Kalam Vara (floor drawing) etc.

The event ended on 1 January 1985 with a procession with a massive rally including caparisoned elephants accompanied by Panchavadyam, called ‘Carnivale Cochin’.

[10] In Popular Culture Movie featuring Cochin Carnival RDX: Robert Dony Xavier, Chotta Mumbai Papanhi is a giant statue of an old man.