Pokhara:

Preparations are on in full swing for the International Food Fest to be held in Pokhara on January 25 and 26. The festival is being sponsored by Annapurna Post at Pokhara’s exhibition ground, said APCA Nepal’s marketing executive Grihendra Munankarmi.

Aside from varied cuisines from different countries, including Nepal, US, Bangladesh, India, Thailand, China, Italy, France, Japan and other nations, the festival will also provide entertainment in the form of various attractive programmes. Bands like Shadows, Kid Soul, Mad Zone will provide musical treat at the festival. Pokhara artistes, including Dharmendra Sewan, Damage Glitters, Shobhit Basyal, Ujjwal Acharya, Prajapati Parajuli, Choulednra Poudel and Parvati GC, will also rock the crowd.

Annapurna Post’s sister daily The Himalayan Times has already held six international food festivals in Kathmandu. This is the first time that Annapurna Post is organising such a festival in Pokhara.

Pokhara is already abuzz with eagerness. Those restaurants and hotels signed up for participation in the festival are busy gearing up for the final day.

Shangri-la Village Resort has decided to serve Thai cuisine, said resort general manager Vijay Subba. Hotels have already booked 25 stalls in the festival venue while others are also coming forward for making their bookings, said Madhav Baral, Pokhara marketing in-charge of APCA Nepal. A large number of tourists are also expected to make their presence in the festival. Baral said that not only Pokharelis, but people from towns and villages in the neighbouring districts also are expected to visit the festival.

Entry tickets priced at Rs 50 per head will fetch a 600 ml bottle of Pet Pepsi while those priced at Rs 25 per head will fetch a bottle of Slice. Lucky draw will be held and

the winner will be provided two air-tickets of Kathmandu-Hong Kong flight and back.