KARACHI: Celebra­ting local cuisine and culture, the four-day 1st Intern­ational Burns Road Food Festival once again brings out the food street of the area, which had been wrapped up due to a court order earlier this year.

In February, a petition was filed in the Sindh High Court by the residents of Burns Road, pointing to the inconvenience caused due to the closure of the key artery in the evening to make way for a food street where even ambulances were unable to pass in emergencies. Their petition resulted in the removal of all the tables and chairs from the roads and footpaths.

But they are back for this longer weekend, thanks to the December 25 public holiday. The roads have not been barricaded, as the traffic has been allowed to pass though with only a small portion of the road reserved for the tables and chairs.

After learning of the food festival on social media, one small family decided to check it out on its opening day on Friday.

Four-day event concludes today

“I was expecting different stalls set up for selling different food items but it is the same old eateries here increasing space by placing tables and chairs on the footpaths and roads,” said Hubab Khalid soon after reaching the place.

“We live nearby at Sultanabad. We come to Burns Road often,” said another visitor, Asad Khan, who was there with his friends. The young men said that they enjoyed karhai and kattakut from one of the restaurants. “I’m thinking of hopping over to the Fresco side, too, to sample some sweetmeats now,” he said.

“Quite frankly, we didn’t even know that something different was happening here today,” said one Mrs Siddiqi.

Another couple seated nearby overheard her and nodded. “We also didn’t know,” said Feroz Vayani and Mumtaz Vayani.

“I had tried Cafe Laziz food with some office friends a little while back and thought to come here again with my better half now,” said the gentleman.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Shah­baz, a waiter, said that he was glad to see so many people coming to enjoy the festival. “More people mean more tips,” he smiled.

Asked about some of the specialties of the festival, he said that the festival itself makes everything special.

“It’s the usual food such as paya, sajji, chargha, haleem, barbecue, etc., but it’s the people who come here who bring joy and happiness along with them. This festival is just another excuse to get them here,” he said.

The festival concludes on Monday (today).

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2023