Some toothsome takeaways from Karachi Eat 2024

The Eat Festival Karachi edition, better known as Karachi Eat, once again became the talk of K-town as it returned to the city over the weekend with a heavenly lineup of cuisines, music, and heaps of fun.

Pakistan's biggest festival kicked off its 11th edition on Friday, January 12, stretching over the weekend and smoothly coming to an end on Sunday, January 14.

The three-day event, like every year, proved to be a haven for diverse foodpreneurs from Karachi, giving them a platform to market their delicacies originating from around the world.

With more than 120 stalls this year, the festival covered a wide range of international cuisines, giving visitors a chance to try the flavours from nations including Turkey, Japan, India, and Mexico, among others, but the Desi food was the preferred cuisine for visitors.

Since its launch in 2014, with every edition, the festival has brought a new purpose, focusing on its commitment to give back to Karachi and its people. 

"The festival was launched in an effort to give back to the city and give its people a launch-pad to boost their businesses," the chief executive officer (CEO) of Eat Food Pakistan Omar Omari told Geo.tv.

According to Omari, the festival also gives the people of the city a space to socialise with the diverse community of Karachi.

Initially, the festival featured stalls from renowned restaurants but this time, according to Omari, around 70% of the vendors were home-based cooks.

Platform for aspirants

Alongside renowned culinary brands, the festival also features a majority of local and home-based businesses that deal with customers online without an outlet for them to visit.

The festival has proven to work wonders for such small-scale businesses and given them a boost towards success by giving them the deserved exposure, especially amid the recent wave of Pakistanis urging to support local businesses over international businesses.

Sarwat, who has been a frequenter of the event with her daughter for the past decade, said that while the festival had expanded to a larger scale, "it has become a great way of promotion, especially for small-scale businesses."

Meanwhile, marking her second year at the festival, Hubna, the owner of a Mexican food truck named "Sombrero" revealed that she cook-started her business at Karachi Eat last year after foodies fell for her taco samples like crazy.

"I set up my stall at Karachi Eat last year for the first time and received a great response from the customers," Hubna said. "Later, I began receiving messages on Instagram about the food. Thanks to this festival, I have been able to grow my business and have opened a food truck."

Meanwhile, despite being "exhausted" after staying at her stall throughout the day, the owner of "Delights by H and H", Hadiya, thinks "there is no better place than Karachi Eat to market one's business."

Hadiya, who also more or less started like Hubna, also owns a home-based food business. She also began her business at the festival last year.

While talking to Geo.tv, she suggested: "If you are setting up a stall at Karachi Eat, don't come here with the intent to turn a profit because you have already invested a lot of money in it and if it is breaking even in return, that's enough. 

"People notice you, get your card and start ordering from you which makes it a great marketing platform."

Not a place just for food

It was a fun festival overall. The vibrant energy of music pulsed through the Karachi Eat Festival, transforming into a calming force amidst the plethora of flavours. At dusk, beats from the grand lineup of music added that extra kick to the night.

Previously, Pakistani artists including Asim Azhar, Young Stunners, Bilal Maqsood, and Zeb Bangash took centre stage at the event, but this time the event was planned to take a different route.

Through their new BEAT (Bringing Emerging Artists Together) initiative, individuals full of musical talents, like Ruman Khan Band, Shishu Harry, Hira the Rapper, and more artists echoed the city's diverse cultural hues.

They shared the stage with musicians including Young Stunners, Ali Tariq, and Aur the Band who also wowed the audience with the latest version of their song "Tu Hai Kahan" featuring the British-Pakistani singer and former One Direction member Zayn Malik.

BEAT is a musical event conceptualised to give a platform to Pakistan's upcoming musical talent, hidden within the lesser explored streets of the city.

"The BEAT initiative was the result of a painstaking effort by the Eat organisation, where scouts spread out across the city, holding auditions long before the festival," Omari said.

He noted that the BEAT initiative was introduced for emerging talent — including persons with disability — to use as a platform to get exposure, just as the event has given foodpreneurs a platform to expand their businesses.

The concert also welcomed a sign language interpreter Usama, on stage, interpreting artists' songs and raps to those who were unable to hear them.

Omari also said that the initiative stayed true to its spirit of "giving back to the city" instead of becoming a disguise to hold a concert.

Sense of community

The blend of delicious cuisines and beautiful melodies transforms Karachi Eat into not just a culinary fiesta, but a symphony of senses, bringing together the people of the city and uniting them as a community.

The festival was also a family affair for Hubna, with her husband, children, and her children's friends helping her out with Mexican delectables and savouries at the stall. Her helper, Sabir, whom she considers a brother, even put on a show for customers and passersby.

The foodprenuer shed light on the significance of the sense of community the festival brings to the city, saying: "It is like a big, giant family of food vendors, who support each other."

"We don't interact with strangers we come across on streets, but here, we interact with everyone like a family, recommending and sharing each other's food. It's a completely different spirit in here," she added.

Meanwhile, a festival-goer, Safdar, said that Karachi was a "city with many cities within it".

"This festival is a centre-point for all flavours and communities from all over Karachi," Safdar said, adding that the city, which was famously known as the country's business hub, often hosts various expos that were not your go-to locations for quality time with your loved ones.

One of the main reasons why Karachi Eat appeals to him is the fact that it is a secure outdoor location where families are a priority.

What does the future hold for Karachi Eat?

From its humble beginnings at Frere Hall, Karachi Eat has expanded to a comparatively bigger scale, moving to Clifton's Beach View Park.

Despite a lower turnout than last year, Omari hopes for the festival to grow even bigger but warned that there was still a list of challenges that needed to be addressed including a lack of sponsors, security concerns and the availability of space. 

Vendors and visitors have also voiced support for the expansion of the festival.

Furthermore, the CEO said: "Every edition of Karachi Eat has given us a chance to learn and observe how the next one can be improved to give visitors a memorable experience."

As the lights faded to dark on Karachi Eat 2024, the rings of laughter, the aroma of diverse dishes, and the music of up-and-coming talents hung heavy in the air, seeing off the city with a motley of memories to relish until the next food pageant unfolds. 

Karachi Eat is not just a festival but a tribute to Karachi's plethora of flavours, diverse cultures, and the lasting spirit of this tremendous melting pot that defines this dynamic city.