LAHORE - The tradition of food festivals is not new to Lahorites but some festivals make their marks through innovative presentation.

The Lahore Eat 2017 kicked off on Friday at Fortress Stadium amid participation of thousands of families. People from all walks of lives attended the festival of food to celebrate the spring as well as to have a taste of their favourite food recipes.

Concluding on Sunday, Lahore Eat 2017 has set a precedent of introducing variety of food tastes at one place.

The event was jointly organised by Latitude Corporate Relationship Solutions (CRS) and Chaprha Khan Omari (CKO) Events Architecture.

Restaurants and food chains which set up their stalls at Fortress Stadium included The Flutter Glutton, Nordiac Café, King Kashmiri Tea, The Daily Deli, Dalda, Pop Nosh, Galito’s, Bombay Chowpatty, Luxus Grand, La Atrium, Cosa Nostra, Café Upstairs, Chatkhara House, Sweet Affairs, Waris Nihari, Ginsoy Extreme Chinese, La Mosa, Mimiz, Mudy’s BBQ Joint , Parklane Hotel, Sarak Pe Karak, Trpical Island and many others.

Sarak Pe Karak who has gained popularity among Lahori youth for its innovative street side tea stalls set up at different localities in Lahore also has a stall at Lahore Eat.

All sorts of food ranging from continental to Chinese are available at Rs250 only which is, in fact, the price for entry ticket. It could be available at as low as Rs99 if one is using mobile applications. Many were seen using these applications at the festival as it provided different discount rates varying from stall to stall.

A specially decorated auto rickshaw was also available for ride at Rs10 per trip. Children showed keen interest in taking rides along with their families.

CKO chief executive officer Omar Omari said that organising public events like Lahore Eat 2017 proved that all festivals are not about making money. It was all about bringing festivity to the people without any consideration of profit. “The public participation is overwhelming,” he said.

Abdul Hayye of CRS said that the purpose of organizing this festival was to provide quality food at affordable rates to people from all sections of society. The first day of festival received a good response from citizens, he added. “It is like a foodie wonderland, the festival is surely a good gesture and good entertainment in spring,” said Anum Mushtaq, a college student commented at a food stall.

Najam Naveed, who visited Lahore Eat 2017 along with his two children, told The Nation that the festival had turned out to be a good place of entertainment for children. “The event has provided me a good opportunity to educate the children about the traditional food recipes of Lahore, especially Nihari,” he shared.

Noted chefs offered live presentation of their cooking skills. A large cake was placed at one corner which had been prepared by a chef who won the ‘Best Pastry Chef’ title in 2014.

A stall named, ‘Man versus Food’ offered eating challenge to the visitors.

The day-long activities culminated with live acoustic performances of jazz bands. Also, a separate play area was allocated for children's activities.

FAIZAN ALI WARRAICH