ISLAMABAD: The ongoing annual Margalla Festival 2015, at the Arts and Crafts Village, is attracting a large number of visitors from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Capital Development Authority (CDA) Sports and Culture Director Asif Javed Shah Jahan told APP that the festival will continue till April 19 and aims to showcase the vibrant regional cultures of the country.

“Dressed in traditional outfits, folk artists are entertaining the visitors and representing the cultural heritage and musical traditions of their respective areas,” he said.

The director said each day of the festival will highlight the culture of one region.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) cultural evening was celebrated in the festival and folk singers entertained the audience with Pashto songs while Khattak dancers performed the traditional dance from KPK and put the audience in a celebratory mood.

Visitors at the festival were also entertained to traditional Balochi, Punjabi and Sindhi music and a group of performers has arrived from Gilgit-Baltistan to showcase their culture for visitors.

Young folk singer Bilal Saeed and a Potohari folk group will be presenting traditional songs in Potohari language spoken by many residents of the twin cities.

Asif Javed said the purpose of organising this festival to provide healthy recreational activities to the residents of the federal capital and promoting regional cultures.

“Entrance to the festival is free,” he said.

He expressed hope that CDA Margalla Festival will be the mega event of the year and attract over 200,000 visitors

The festival includes a number of stalls, performances, cultural dresses fashion show, games, heavy bike show, pet show, cooking competition, painting competition, photography competition among others.

Asif Javed said organising such events in the federal capital not only provides opportunities to folk singers and artists but also help promote our rich culture at the international level.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2015

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