Lok Mela 2025 attracted more than 200,000 visitors to the Lok Virsa grounds in Shakarparian on its fifth day, as families, students, tourists and art lovers filled the festival site for a full day of exhibitions and performances.
The evening’s highlight was the Qawwali Night at the Open Air Theatre at 7:00 PM, where the Sharafat Sher Ali Khan Qawwal Group delivered powerful classical qawwalis and soulful kalam supported by traditional harmonium and tabla. Their performance resonated deeply with the audience and concluded with a long standing ovation.
Adding an international dimension to the day, H.E. Alisher Tukhtaev, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan, visited Lok Mela, engaging with local artisans and touring regional pavilions while praising Lok Virsa’s efforts to showcase cultural diversity and strengthen people-to-people ties.
Throughout the day visitors moved through hundreds of artisan stalls offering pottery, ajrak printing, embroidery, jewelry, lacquer work, textiles and woodcraft, while provincial pavilions representing Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir hosted live demonstrations and traditional performances.
The Qawwali Night and the festival atmosphere generated significant online attention, trending on social platforms and drawing coverage from bloggers, influencers and television channels keen to capture the vibrant scenes at Lok Virsa.
Lok Mela continues daily until November 16, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM at Lok Virsa, Shakarparian, inviting residents and visitors to experience the crafts, music and living heritage on display.
