The Kalash spring festival, called Chilim Jush, gets under way today. The five-day festival, which attracts a large number of visitors, is a lifeline for the economy of the Kalash tribe. It also affords the Kalash people a welcome opportunity to showcase their culture. It is partly on account of the festival that their rituals, clothes, shoes, and decorative items have found admirers and buyers across the world. The community takes the festival very seriously. They start making preparations for it several weeks ahead of the occasion. They renovate their houses and mend and replace worn-out items. Many create extra accommodation in their houses and set up camping hotels to house domestic tourists. The one PTDC-run resort in the area has been reserved for foreign tourists. The arrival of foreign visitors to the once-terror-hit region is a promising sign. Having said that, the festival is not without its shares of problems. Over the years, the growing influx of tourists has been creating new problems for the womenfolk. Reports of hounding them for photographs and harassment by domestic visitors are common. The festival is also a religious occasion for the community, but several people have been seen making fun of the rituals and desecrating remains in the Kalash graveyards. The tourists have also been reported at times for scuffling with one another over things like grabbing a photo opportunity. Such behavior unpleasantly disrupts the cultural and religious serenity of the valley. The somber serenity of the valley remains blotted even after the festival is over. Visitors leave the valley strewn with litter, and open defecation lining the edges of streams. This happens despite the provision of waste bins and community washrooms. The community has to spend weeks to collect litter and to restore the valley to normalcy. Such issues need to be addressed appropriately if one wishes to see the festival intact. Managed and marketed properly, this great festival has the potential to become a world-class event. One measure the tourism experts have suggested is the enforcement of a capped permit system that will allow a limited number of visitors at any given time. The permit should come with a strict code of conduct for the visitors. Limiting the number of visitors will allow the community to go on with their rituals in peace. The arrangements could also generate revenue as permits do not have to be free. The proceeds could be spent on the welfare and security of the community and to add facilities for the visitors. We have seen many tourists site ruined through disregard of ethical tourism practices. Murree is a graphic example of unchecked tourism and construction. It may not be too late yet to save Kalash valley. *