ISLAMABAD - A three-day spring festival is opening Sunday (today) here at Garden Avenue, Shakarparian.

The event is organised by Ministry of National Heritage & Integration in collaboration with Lok Virsa and Pakistan National Council of Arts. The festival aims to promote Pakistan’s traditional culture and welcome spring season. The festival features exhibition of artisans-at-work & kite making, exhibition of folk arts & crafts, kite flying, folk performances, folk dances, traditional food stalls, and several other attractions for families and children.
The festival will continue till Tuesday, February 26. Daily timings would be from 11.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. Entry for the public to the festival will be free.
Besides the festival activities, Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology, popularly known as Heritage Museum depicting living cultural traditions and Pakistan Monument Museum portraying history, birth and development of Pakistan as a progressive state would also remain open for public and delegates as per their routine timings, i.e. from 10.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. (except Monday, 25 February being holiday for Heritage Museum).
Talking to this scribe, Lok Virsa’s executive director Khalid Javaid said his organisation is always trying to create moments of happiness for the masses through various projects and programmes.
The Spring Festival is also a step forward in this direction. He appealed to the public to ensure their full participation in the festival and help Lok Virsa making it successful.
According to Lok Virsa officials, over 50 master artisans with their helpers in various craft fields such as embroidery, wood work, papier mache, traditional doll making, shawl weaving, wax printing, Ajrak making, stone work, etc. from all over Pakistan are participating in the exhibition of artisans-at-work. They will not only demonstrate their skills at the artistically designed colourful pavilions but will also sell their products to pubic directly without involvement of any middleman.
First time in the history of Lok Virsa, the kite flyers “Patang Baz” will demonstrate the skill of kite flying from the roof of the buildings of Lok Virsa and enjoy the arrival of spring season. A number of kite flyers are expected to participate in the kite flying at Lok Virsa.
Though there would be regular performances of folkloric song and dance ensembles throughout the three-day festival daily from 11.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m., however Lok Virsa is also planning to hold a “cultural evening” on Tuesday, 26 February 2013 at 6.00 p.m. at Lok Virsa open air theatre wherein famous folk singers including Fazal Jatt, Jhangi Khan, Bano Rehmat and others will perform live in a concert. Entry for public to the concert will also be free.
Federal Minister for National Heritage & Integration Samina Khalid Ghurki, who has conceptualised and conceived the whole idea of the spring celebrations, will be the chief guest at the festival on the opening day, i.e. February 24, 2013.