Events And Activities In Pokhara
Ropain Mahotsav
Nepal is also known as the country of festivals. The festivals are connected with our culture, traditions and the life styles. Rice is our major crop and main food of Nepali people. Keeping the importance of this crop in mind, the tradition of rice plantation ceremony called Ropain Mahotsav is being practiced/performed from the ancient period, like Ropai Jatra in Newari Culture.
With the aim of promoting tourism through preserving this culture, Pokhara Tourism Council has been organizing this event in Pokhara as a festive occasion. This festival invariably falls on 15 th of Asadh (accordingly, usually on the 29 th of June) every year. It is a Nepali tradition to celebrate this festival by eating beaten rice with curd, singing Asare geet ‘song’, planting rice and playing with and/or in the mud. To make the festival more interesting varieties of events like tourist race in mud, bullock race, fish catching competition etc. are performed.
Street Festival
Closely following the period of English New Year, Restaurant and Bar Association (REBAN) Pokhara has established a tradition to celebrate the Street Festival. This program begins from 28 th December to 1 st January every year. This festival has been proved to be an important event for the enhancement of tourism in Pokhara. This program is being held at Lakeside which is a tourism center in Pokhara.
In such a dealing and performance, tourists get not only the tourism related information but a unique sort of pleasure out of those temporarily established street restaurants. In order to provide entertainment to tourists, folk dance and folk song are followed by the culture, art and costumes of various indigenous communities are displayed on the same occasion. Varieties of competition like, Boat Race, Tourist race, Tug–of–war etc. are performed to make the festival more interesting.
Phewa Festival
On the occasion of Nepali New Year, Phewa Festival is organized every year from 7 th April to 15 th April at Basundhara Park just opposite to Fishtail Lodge. The festival offers various events and activities like cultural programs with live band, Children Park, competitions, New Year sale market, sales and exhibition of Nepali handicrafts, paintings, architectural and agricultural goods. It provides verities of Nepalese cuisine deliciously displayed on the occasion. This is also an event where a tourist can experience the way of exchanging greetings of Nepalese culture on the eve of Nepali New Year.
On the other hand, the main streets of Lakeside are covered with varieties of restaurants and sale shops. Several items for fun and entertainment like cultural parade on the street, boat race, waiter race, tug-of-war, beer drinking competition etc. are performed.
National Industrial Trade Fair
The fair is organized every year in the month of November at Exhibition Center in Nayabazaar Pokhara. It provides ample opportunity to the small and cottage industries to promote their products. This festival runs for almost a week with significant commercial activities and cultural performances. Thousands of visitors are benefited by purchasing their household needs in reasonable price (less than in normal) and also enjoy the festival with varieties of songs, dance, comedy and tasty foods.
The World Tourism Day
Every year, 27th of September is celebrated as a World Tourism Day in Pokhara welcoming the guest by Pancha Kanya ‘five girls’ with Garland and Khada in musical environment. This day also reflects Nepali tradition, culture and hospitality to the guests. This is also considered to be an auspicious day in tourism. The guests are awarded by surprise gift of vouchers who step first, second and third in Pokhara Airport and at the Tourist Bus Park, Pokhara.
Paragliding Championship
As an adventurous game, paragliding competition has been started in Pokhara so as to familiarize the natural city of Pokhara in the world tourism market. This sport has become an alternative means of entertainment for all tourists coming to Nepal. Ever wondered, like a free flying bird up in the sky, if you could also soar high up in the air towards the pearly clouds, into the beautiful blue and experience the sensation of flying! It’s an amazing event of paragliding, closest to free flying without disturbing the nature. This will be an incredible ride into the air. To promote sports tourism in Nepal, the Paragliding Championship has been organizing in Pokhara and it falls every year at the end of February.
