Daily Times

Foodies in Karachi were determined to get to one of the largest events of the social calendar: the Karachi Eat Food Festival 2020. One of the most happening events, the crazy gusts of wind and cold could not keep the food lovers away. The annual three-day food festival was again a success this year, and most people whom I spoke to said it was much more organised and a well set-up event this time around.

As I was part of the initial jury for the food-tasting submissions, I wanted to be there every day to see the culmination of the event. And it did not disappoint. CKO Event Architecture is the brainchild of Aslam Khan and Omar Omari. Earlier, at the food tastings I also met Cyra Anklesaria, the event producer.A very enterprising group of people, CKO Event Architecture has successfully managed and established this event, being the pioneers of food festival culture in Pakistan several years ago. The event has multiplied in the number of eateries and the audience successfully over the many years.

As I stood near the ticketing booth to coordinate with some friends,I noticed that each person, from the ushers to the grounds and eateries staff,knew their drill well. They had done it many times before, with each of their teams professionally focused on their designated job each day. They would have to be standing for several hours on end for three days straight as the event would be hosting approximately over 200,000 people.

The Karachi Eat Food Festival 2020, seventh edition,was organised this year anticipated as one of the largest food festivals in Pakistan, with a well-laid out map for the attendees foran easy walk through. Keeping in mind the number of people that would want to have their food seated, the area was filled with more benches and seating arrangements this year.

Although the festival is mainly focused on food stalls it was layered with different festivities for families. There were kiosks of game sections, a jumping castle and play areas for children as well as several concerts for the music enthusiasts.

Some of the event partners were huge brands such as 7up Pakistan, Shan Foods, Ariel, Hashmani Hospitals, FM 91 and Mind Map Communications. Several of the brand partners had their stalls set up in a café-like style. Shan Foods is especially mentionable as they provided a warm booth structure with heaters and bonfires. A lovely thought, which was much appreciated. Concert goers at night were wowed with performances that included famous musicians such as Josh, Sahara UK, Zoe Viccaji, Waqar Ehsin and Rafay Israr.

A very enterprising group of people, CKO Event Architecture has successfully managed and established this event, being the pioneers of food festival culture in Pakistan several years ago

The cold was a noticeable hindrance, but the determined crowd seemed happy to get to the food; benches kept getting full and families and friends shared seating spaces. The crowd pleasers were many and would stand out as long queues of loyal fans lined up to get their festival bites. Here are some of the top eateries as blogged by one of the popular influencers in Pakistan, Zain Awan, as he went food tasting at the festival: Tikyani, Muokato, The Story,The Brownie Wizard, Churrosity, Sol House, Mamus Seafood and Grill, Wah Paratha, Hobnob, Kuiya, Red Volks, Caramelt, Zeytin, Fatso, Ganache by Ruby, Yoshi’s and The Social Hub. Last but not the least, a special mention of Café Ujala, a food stall run by volunteers for the school for special needs children.

One mentionable enterprise is EcoPak, the environment-friendly company. It is not an eatery but a very dynamic organisation, contributing in creating an eco-friendly environment by providing bio-degradable utensils for eating free at the event. This was a fantastic addition, and it was very gracious of the organisers to have it; it was also a very generous initiative of EcoPak.

As queuesthinned quickly, one should give credit to each of the over 100 eateries that withstood the winter cold and served thousands of people with smiles. They even exchanged small talk, as I passed by to speak to different restaurateurs and entrepreneurs.

A beautiful sunset and the venue of the Beach View Park made the well-chosen space picture perfect at all times.

CKO Event Architecture has done a great service for the local community by hosting such events.They have intelligently chosen food as the main attraction, coupled with providing a secure space for families and friends to partake in festivities with ease. They have created an activity that people not only eagerly look forward to but what has also created a community build-up, keeping in mind both entertainment and culture. The eateries at the event are carefully chosen by a diverse jury made up of food connoisseurs.

The foresight in creating such a popular cultural event and then to manage it successfully has shown a level of excellence as a benchmark for others entering this business. Culturally, it has created a recreational space with fun activities for men, women and children as different groups, apart from families, make plans for a fun weekend and community entertainment in the wonderful port of Karachi.

The writer is a columnist