LAHORE: Lahore and food go hand in hand. It is impossible to imagine Lahore without its delectable and diverse cuisine and so it came as no surprise that a food event in Lahore was able to bring together thousands of people to celebrate food, music, the much-awaited winter season and the settling of the smog.
Sunday marked the last day of the Coke Food Fest which took place at Royal Palm. The event itself was well organised but getting there was a real hassle. The roads leading to Royal Palm were blocked on almost all sides and those attending the festival were seen walking to the location from their cars which were parked nearly a kilometre away from the venue. However, credit must be given to the traffic wardens present at the scene who were working tirelessly to ease blockages and maintain a steady flow of traffic.
Upon entering the event, one was first met with the aroma of food and the loud sound of music, enough to get one in the ‘feel’ of the event. The event was spanned over a large area; the stalls lined the sides, a stage was built at one end of the location while the centre was peppered with tables and chairs, sponsors’ stalls and areas designated for children’s entertainment.
The cuisine ranged from barbeque to daal chawal to Chinese to burgers and pizza; there was something to tickle everyone’s taste buds. Not to forget the absolutely delicious variety of desserts and drinks.
While there were several stalls set up by restaurants and cafés, it was heart-warming to see a good number of stalls set up by home-based businesses, especially female entrepreneurs.
Speaking to Pakistan Today, the lady behind Food Funkar said that this was her first time participating in such an event and that she was overwhelmed by the response she had received from the people present. She added that these events were great for small businesses to market themselves and gain new customers.
Similarly, Dessert Desire was another stall set up by a lady and she said that coming to the food fest was one of the best decisions she had made for the business-wise. Her stall was brimming with customers who wanted to taste her special desserts. She said, “Nothing is impossible if you put your heart into it.”
Musical performances by renowned artists were another attractive feature of the Coke Food Fest. The last day of the event saw performances by Ali Sethi and Strings. The event marked the first performance of Strings after a hiatus – and they began with a beautiful number that added to the soulful effect of an already lovely evening.
SM Aun, one of the attendees of the event, while speaking to Pakistan Today, said that such events provided great space for people to “enjoy and chill out” with brilliant food and music.
Perhaps, the best aspect of the Coke Food Fest, though, was that none of the food went to waste. At the end of each day, all leftovers were was given to Rizq, a social enterprise which then distributed them amongst the needy. Huzaifa Ahmed, co-founder Rizq, told Pakistan Today that they managed to feed almost 600 people after just the first day of the event.
Coke Food Fest was hosted by Coca-Cola Pakistan and cosponsored by Kashmir cooking oil and Banaspati along with Foodies ‘R Us, Activemedia and MediaWorld. The ideology behind the event was to provide the food-loving nation with a place where they could enjoy time with their friends and family.
Coke Food Fest spokesperson Asad Sheikh, the founder of the influential food collective Foodies ‘R Us, said: “Food is the only common denominator between every culture and it is the only thing that brings people together,” and the Coke Food Fest served as a glorious testament to his words.
