The traditional colorful folk festival popularly known as Lok Mela has been opened at the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage in Shakarparian, bringing artisans from all across the country to Islamabad.
The annual ten-day festival will be held from November 25 to December 4, where people from twin cities as well as from across Pakistan will be entertained with the vibrant colors of Pakistani tradition.
More than 500 artisans and craftspersons from Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu Kashmir are participating in the event. Provincial pavilions, food courts, folk musical theaters, and 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.
The annual Lok Mela provides a unique opportunity for the public to experience the colors and warmth of multiple cultures from all over Pakistan.
The festival which is part of the mega cultural activities of Islamabad is being organized for over four decades. “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 Secretary of National Heritage and Culture Fareena Mazhar
During the last three years the festival was open to a very limited audience due to the Covid19 pandemic, however, this year the festival would be celebrated as a grand event,
Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Heritage and Culture Heritage and Culture Engr Amir Muqam inaugurated the festival on November 26. He was the chief guest of the inaugural ceremony titled “Dastarbandi/Chadarposhi”.
In his address, the Adviser to Prime Minister welcomed all the participants of the folk festival and said that Lok Virsa is determined for the conservation, preservation and propagation of the folk cultural heritage of the country.
“Lok Mela aims at promoting, perpetuating and preserving arts, crafts, culture, folk music and traditional skills of the country,” he said adding that this unique event has now become a symbol of the federation’s recognition and patronage to our rich cultural diversity and active participation of the people.
The festival will introduce Pakistan’s talented artists and artisans at the national level through this festival. “This Mela is part of the priorities of the government to encourage initiatives related to public welfare, promotion and development of Pakistan’s culture and providing meaningful and wholesome entertainment opportunities to the people” he added.
