Pokhara Street Festival to be held from December 28

POKHARA, Nov 26:A street festival will be held at Pokhara's lakeside to celebrate the English New Year.

According to Bishworaj Poudel, President of the Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (REBAN), the street festival will be held from the  December 28, 2023 to the January 1, 2024, with the tagline "Eat on the street , enjoy on the street."

According to him, the celebration would be conducted by closing the three kilometers of road along the Pokhara Lakeside. During the festival, traffic will be closed from Fishtail Gate in Lakeside to Jarewar via Chautara in Gaira.

"There will be street food and cultural exhibitions at the street festival," said the official. "We have organized the festival because Pokhara can be a suitable destination to celebrate the English New Year."

He stated that there will be tableau performances with original costumes, food performances, folk song competitions, volleyball tournaments, night concerts, handicrafts, paintings, and other exhibitions, in addition to cultural events.

Lakeside hosted a food festival 25 years ago to boost tourists during the "low season." According to Surya Bhujel, the previous president of REBAN, the street festival has been revamped.

According to Pomnarayan Shrestha, head of the Pokhara Tourism Council, around 500,000 local and foreign tourists are expected to attend the festival.

According to Shrestha, the festival has sent the message that Pokhara and its surrounding places are appropriate for visiting at any time of year.

He also urged all tourism-related organizations to collaborate together for the festival to be a success.