Fewa New Year Festival begins

POKHARA, April; 11:The three-day 19th Fewa New Year Festival, organized by the Hotel Association Pokhara Nepal, started Thursday. The festival started on the banks of Phewa Lake with panche baja and tableaux representing different castes.

The event, which focuses on tourism, culture, and food, was opened by Dhanraj Acharya, the head of Pokhara Metropolitan Municipality, in a special ceremony held at Ammat on the lakefront. Starting the event, Acharya stated that the metropolis will be strict against anyone who attempt to exploit the wetlands of Phewa Lake. Informing about the implementation of the court's 65-meter judgment on Phewa Lake, he stated that the technical aspects are being understood, and that the city will proceed so that no one is treated unfairly.

Chief Acharya emphasized that the behavior of businessmen and inhabitants in Pokhara should be tourist-friendly in light of the city's designation as the tourism capital. He stated that the municipality is preparing to obtain a separate permission for night-time enterprises that operate throughout the night and to distribute stickers to those who have completed the relevant conditions.

Speaking on the occasion, Laxman Subedi, chairman of the Hotel Association Pokhara Nepal  and festival coordinator, announced that the Fewa festival will have attractions such as Ratauli , Panche Baja, Bhajanchudka, and a Nepali culinary festival. Coordinator Subedi further stated that free admittance had been arranged, as well as a 20% discount on hotel bills for festival attendees from Damside Chowk to Khare Chowk.

The festival featured dozens of tableaus and groups costumed in ethnic and socioeconomic costumes, beginning with a performance of Barahi Aarti and dance performances by SK Dance.  Tableaus and demonstrations held prior to the festival's opening reached Ammat via Khaheri Chowk and Damsidechowk. 

According to Rajendra Dhakal, the Hotel Association Pokhara Nepal's general secretary and publicity coordinator, the festival would feature a tourist race, the sale and presentation of various dishes, a dance program, a concert, and a showcase of Nepali art and culture.

On the occasion of the event, the Central President of Hotel Association Nepal, Binayak Shah, Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment, Gandaki, Kumansingh Gurung, Founder President of the Hotel Association Pokhara Nepal, Ramesh Bahadur Bhattarai, President of Pokhara Tourism Council, Pomnarayan Shrestha, Chief District Officer of Kaski, Basudev Ghimire, Vice President of the Hotel Association Pokhara Nepal and Co-Coordinator of the Festival, Deepak Shrestha, President of Women's Network Pokhara 6, Babita Malla made a speech. 

The festival, which is the main sponsor of Gorkha Brewery, is promoted and supported by Nepal Tourism Board and Pokhara Metropolitan Municipality. The government of Gandaki Province and Hotel Association Nepal have also supported the festival.