Yummy in the tummy: Foodies throng Fortress Stadium as Lahore Eat kicks off

Organisers say the event will provide a platform for start-ups and be affordable for all.

LAHORE: Touted as the biggest food festival of the city, Lahore Eat 201 kicked off at Fortress Stadium with more than 60 stalls offering foodies a wide variety of cuisines.

Lahore Eat aims to provide hungry stomachs with a variety of sweet and savory delights from desi to continental and from street food to fusion. Stalls of start-ups and veteran restaurateurs based in the city will be established for the event.

Organised by CKO events, in collaboration with Latitude PR, the three-day event will be held from 4:30 pm till 1am for three days. An entry ticket for one person can be bought for Rs250.

One of the key organisers, Latitude Director PR Nusrat Jamil considered the event a success on the behalf of the team despite repeated delays. She said they finally managed to hold the festival at a prominent and secure location.

“We kept on waiting for two months and despite a frustrating delay and plenty of struggle; we managed to go ahead finally.” She said the foremost priority was to ensure visitors had a secure and family-friendly environment.  along with quality food and great entertainment,” Nusrat said. “Secondly, in order to keep it affordable for all, we ensured items are not priced higher than Rs300,” she added.

The PR firm director highlighted that organisers offered startups stalls at half the regular price.

According to her, a lot of startups participated at Lahore Eat last year and found their niche clientele through the platform. “Today they are successful businesses.”

Omar Omari of CKO events said that the major difference between last year’s event and 2017 is that this one is at Fortress Stadium, which is a bigger and more secure venue.

Food stalls set up this year, include King Kashmiri Tea, Shut Up and Eat, Pop Nosh, Chatkhara House, Tropical Island, Sultan Shawarma, XYZ, The Flour Girl, Foodsters, SarakPeKarak, Maro Tandoors, La Atrium, Ministry Of Burger, Vaneela, Café latch, Tea Cozy, The Café Upstairs, BBGB, Beef Eater, Masoom’s Pancake Lounge, The Flutter Solutions, Nama Burger, Sweet Affairs, Delish, Cosa Nostra, The Daily Deli, Jumbo Gyro, Luxus Grand, Bombay Chowpatty, Latteria Mozzarella, Persian Treats, Lahore Social, Punjabians Dhaba , BYOB, Loco Taco, Great Taste, Little Red Door, Wingo, Lahorelicious, The Shack, Picand Mix, Burger Begum and several others.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2017.