By Kamran Hashim
KARACHI: Street food is ready-to-eat food or drink sold by a hawker, vendor in a street or at any other public place, such as at a market or fair. It is mostly sold from a portable food-booth, food-cart, food-truck etc etc. In Karachi Street food is available at places called as dhaaba, khokay, rerhri–wala and chaabrri–wala etc etc. These street food give an insight into any city’s or any neighbourhood’s ethnic surrounding, taste and also their culture.
Some popular street food in Karachi is definitely Pathan’s chai followed by parthas, rolls (veg, chicken, and beef), chicken tikka, and seekh-kebabs. Samosas & pakoras are also listed among favourites for many Karachites with their evening tea. Some other well-known delicacies of Karachi include bhel-puri, gol-gappa, channa-chaat, bun-kebab, french-fries, makai, faluda and kulfi to name a few. Only drawback that keeps you away from all of these excellent tasting food it the vastness of our city Karachi, which is by no means a small city.
As food-festivals and food-fairs are gaining prominence here in Karachi, it was right time to bring best of the best street foods of Karachi at one place. Thus plans to bring to life ‘Karachi Street Food Festival 2018’ were initiated.
Accordingly to organizers of this festival, this ‘Karachi Street Food Festival 2018’ will be one of the most unique festive that you will ever experience, It’s not just about food it’s about food with street, you get street magicians, jugglers, music and many more things that you have never experienced.
It will be a three (3) days long event starting from Friday 16th November 2018 and will go till Sunday 18th November 2018. On first day i.e. Friday, this festival will start at 04:30PM in the evening and will go on till 11:30PM. On remaining two days festival timings will be from 02:00PM till 11:30PM.
Venue chosen for this first of its kind event is Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park located in the heart of Clifton near its famous food street Boat Basin. Venue also has ample and proper car parking, which has also been promised by the organizers.
Organizers of the this first of its kind ‘Karachi Street Food Festival 2018’ are aiming to bring-in about 100 food vendors, so that people can enjoy number of food varieties. An expected crowd of 90,000 to 100,000 is expected to attend this three day food festival.
Apart from excellent food, this festival also offers excellent variety music with concerts on each of its three days which will feature some top names in music industry like Umair Jaswal and Asim Azhar along with underground bands. For mellow music lovers there will be ghazals also.
At the entrance of this festival there will be a dedicated Red carpet zone to give you feel of celebrity and media-wall for pictures and selfies. Magicians, Jugglers and street artists will present to amuse you. Magicians will performing through-out the event and they might also amaze you on your table or even when you are just walking by. Highly trained and professional jugglers amaze you as well as you kid with their acrobats. street artists will be also be there to amuse you and your families.
For kids their will Kids Island – specifically designed to entertain kids’ as they become bore easily the Island will make sure you enjoy as you want and you kids will not disturb you at all! Kids Island will feature huge play area with adventurous rides and other activities will be built for kids. Also on the list will be a mini-zoo. For corporate sector and celebrities there will be VIP lounges, where you can relax with your family in most relaxing way.
Prizes and gifts will be up for grabs on daily basis through lucky draws and the final day lucky draw will have three (3) mega prizes starting from Motor-Bike, an I-Phone and a Luxury Apartment for three (3) lucky winners to be announced on last day of event.
All of this fun and excitement available at just Rs 200 as entry charges into first of its kind ‘Karachi Street Food Festival 2018’. For public ease their will be 4 tickets counters eager to serve you. Kids under 12 are free to enter with their parents. Groups of boys/men are not encouraged as it’s meant to be a ‘Families only’ event to avoid any un-pleasant circumstances.
