Colorful Folk Festival To Open Tomorrow

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Nov, 2022 ) :National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, Lok Virsa is all set to open its ten-day annual Folk Festival of Pakistan (Lok Mela) here from November 25 to December 4 at Shakarparian to entertain the people of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad with vibrant colors of Pakistan's cultural heritage.

"The festival which is part of mega cultural activities of federal capital, is being organized for over four decades, while this year, a part of income generation through the festival will be contributed to Prime Minister's Flood Relief Fund to help the flood affectees, said Fareena Mazhar", Secretary National Heritage and Culture Division on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference at Lok Virsa, she said the festival was open to a very limited number of audience during the last three years due to Covid19 pandemic, while this year the festival would be celebrated as a mega event. "Annual Lok Mela is a unique opportunity to experience the colors and warmth of diverse cultures from all over Pakistan." "Provincial pavilions, food courts, folk musical theaters, display of arts and crafts as well as traditional heritage from every corner of Pakistan will be part of the festival to celebrate the dynamic creativity of Pakistan's traditional craftsmanship and promote rural folk artisans at the national level without the involvement of any middleman", she said.

"Over 500 artisans and craftspersons are participating in the event. Lok Mela will begin with its traditional Dastarbandi ceremony to honour a Master Artisan, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political, Public Affairs and National Heritage and Culture will inaugurate the event on November 26 formally", she added.

Executive Director of Lok Virsa Shahzad Durrani said the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, working under the Federal Government, Heritage Division, aimed to promote and develop the traditional culture of Pakistan. To achieve the objective, Lok Virsa had been organizing the event in Islamabad for the last four decades to encourage those who wished to display and perform their art and crafts at the national level.

The main focus of the 10-day festival would be to promote inter-provincial harmony and national integration, highlighting the contribution of people from diverse communities in shaping the future of Pakistan. Hundreds of master artisans, folk artists, musicians and folk dancers from all over Pakistan including from the remote and far-flung regions would participate in the festival.

Daily attractions of the festival will include provincial pavilions depicting various cultural themes, traditional food stalls, folk dances, folk music, shopping stalls, kid's corner and concerts in open-air theatre among several other programmes which will take place simultaneously at each provincial pavilion. An exotic craft bazaar featuring a rich variety of unique handicrafts, souvenirs items, antiques and decorative art will also be set up.