LAHORE - Pakistan has a rich history of diverse cuisines. From Karachi’s favourite biryani to Peshawar’s chaplikebabs and Quetta’s sajji, all of our country’s many culturally vibrant cities are known for their own mouth-watering specialities.
However, when one talks about the hub of delicious food, nothing can ever beat the lovely Lahore. The heart of Punjab has forever been a favourite spot for foodies who come to this historic city to tantalise their taste buds from all corners of the world.
If you ever visit Lahore and not indulge in the tasty nihari and siripaaye, then sorry to break it to you, but you’re literally missing out on a lot.
We do know that keeping up with the wide array of food options this city has to offer is next to impossible, unless you’re on a food marathon.
However, a recently held mega food event made it possible for foodies to have the time of their life and left the whole of Lahore under its spell offering endless variety of scrumptious meals, desserts and snacks.
The three days of the appetising and amusing festival were all about food, music and lots of fun.
Since we were amongst the many lucky ones to witness one of the most successful food festivals of the country, we’re here to break down all the happenings for you.
It all started when we decided to head towards Lahore’s Etihad Town and little did we know, we were in for an experience of a lifetime. There were food stalls for as far as our eyes could see.
The 120+ eateries included the best of all kinds of food options. Karak Khel, Arif Chatkhara, Papa John’s, What’a Paratha, Naan Kebab, Baskin Robbins, Poet, Deli Co and PF Chang’s were a few of the many food stalls we rushed towards to let our taste buds have some lip-smacking fun.
The sight of yummy meals being cooked on spot wasn’t the only thing that had us excited, but seeing the numerous happy faces all over the venue, as well as the lively music that played throughout the three-day affair, brightened up our day in the bets possible way. From groups of young girls to families and friends everyone roamed around without any fear of risking their safety. It was certainly a massive feat for 7UP to pull off an event of such magnitude.
The brand knew what they were in for and delivered their best services for Lahoris to enjoy some quality time with families and friends. Having witnessed the massive, electric crowd one finally agrees with the phrase that reads, ‘With great food, comes a great number of foodies’.
The lit stage, the striking spiral canopies across the venue and the festive ambience, everything made the festival a delightful experience altogether. But food wasn’t the only USP of the festival. In fact, what made us go gaga about the grand event was the star-studded music line-up for three consecutive days.
Celebrated musicians such as Jibran Raheel, Nauman Khalid and Abrar ul Haq, along with music bands like Bayaan, Soch and Jal kick-started the musical extravaganza on the first day of the festival. Performances on the second day included AK The Band, FMS, XARB and Kashif Ali Babar – all of whom wooed the audiences. However, performances by Josh, the band, as well as the Pakistani music maestro Sajjad Ali were immensely anticipated.
The third day of the festival was the most exciting, for the audience went into a frenzy with performances by Aura, Mekaal Hassan, Kashmir, Falak and last but not least, the great Atif Aslam, all of whom set the stage on fire.
It goes without saying that every single performer made us groove to their tunes and took the festival on another level of energy. It wasn’t just musicians and singers that left us star-struck, for we even bumped into a number of television stars, who also flocked to the festival and indulge in some yummy treats just like us.
