The ninth instalment of the International Folk Festival is slated to kick off on March 1. Organised by the Everest Nepal Cultural group, the festival, which takes place every two years, has already hosted 3500 performers from 35 countries since its inception in 2002.

Through the ten-day course, the event sees each participating group showcase folk songs and dances that best represent their home cultures. This year’s festival will feature over 300 performers from Estonia, Greece, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Italy, Israel, and of course, Nepal. 

Established over two decades ago, the Everest Nepal Cultural Group works to promote and preserve Nepal’s diverse cultural heritage.  They do so by organising cultural events and discussion groups that provide a platform for performers and experts representing disparate traditions from Nepal and abroad, to convene, share and relate. The first iteration of the International Folk Festival was impelled by the understanding that sharing and promoting folk traditions from both home and abroad ensures their collective continuity. The seminal idea remains at the heart of the group’s work and due to steadily growing public interest in national and international cultural events, a high turnout is anticipated for this year. The Festival will be held at several venues, chosen for their cultural and commercial import—namely Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Gaidakot, and Pokhara. Participating foreign artists are also expected to perform and lecture at various schools in and around Kathmandu valley.

The festival will conclude on March 10.