The Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (REBAN), Pokhara, is set to organise the 27th edition of the Pokhara Street Festival to welcome the English New Year. The five-day festival will be held from December 28 to January 1 under the slogan, “Let’s eat on the street, dance on the street, and celebrate on the street.”
The festival will stretch across a three-kilometre section of Lakeside, from Fishtail Gate to Khahare, turning the area into a vibrant pedestrian zone filled with cultural, culinary, and entertainment activities.
According to the organisers, the primary objective of the festival is to protect and promote the professional rights and interests of businesses operating in Lakeside while strengthening Pokhara’s position as a major New Year tourism destination. In view of the current situation, security measures have been tightened to ensure the safety of visitors.
The festival will feature various games, cultural performances representing different ethnic communities, stalls with local food and jewellery. As the sun sets, Nepali rock bands, DJ nights, acoustic lakeside sessions, fire shows, and street dance circles will light up the celebration.
This edition of the festival is expected to be the largest and most visitor-friendly so far. The reasons are newly paved footpaths, improved street lighting, expanded walking zones, and better waste management. These improvements make it easier for families, large groups, and international travellers to move freely along the festival route. They will also feature bigger stages and more clearly defined festival zones, allowing the event to grow without feeling overwhelming.
Before the festival was introduced, December was one of the quietest months for tourism in Pokhara, with a sharp drop in visitor numbers. Hotels and restaurants often ran at low occupancy, and some were even forced to shut down temporarily. The Street Festival changed that pattern, helping local businesses survive one of the slowest periods of the year by drawing tourists back to Lakeside.
