Second edition of the Sevendays Winter Feast to begin from tomorrow

GHIZER: The Gilgit-Baltistan Department of Tourism, Sports, and Culture will host the Second edition of the Sevendays Winter Feast 2024 from January 22 to 24 at Khalti Lake in the Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, aiming to highlight the region’s year-round potential as a destination and promote winter sports and tourism.

This year’s festivities will include ice hockey, curling, speed racing, ice skating, and traditional local games such as Basra, Pindok, and Baalbut. Teams from across Gilgit-Baltistan are gearing up to showcase their skills in these unique and culturally significant contests.

The opening ceremony, scheduled for Monday at 4:30 pm, will be kicked off by the Minister Home, Shams Lone, Member GB Assembly Fateh Ullah Khan, and Chief Secretary Gilgit-Baltistan Abrar Ahmed Mirza.

The exhibition of food and cultural stalls throughout the event will promote local products and provide business opportunities for local entrepreneurs. The musical night on the second day will showcase the diverse culture of Gilgit-Baltistan.

In an interview with Pamir Times, Secretary Tourism Asifullah Khan revealed that changes in weather patterns disrupted the Tourism Department’s original plan for a national-level winter sports event in GB. Initially planned in Skardu, the event was shifted to Ghulkin Hunza, then to Naltar, and eventually to Khalti Ghizer due to the absence of frozen rinks caused by rising temperatures this year.

The feast will now be held from January 22 to 24 at Khalti Lake. The Ghizer Road will remain open during these dates to facilitate visitors. Homestays have been introduced for tourists at Khalti.

The seminar on climate change, scheduled for the final day under the theme “Eyes Wide Open: Exploring Conservation Challenges,” aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of climate change, particularly its impact on Gilgit Baltistan. The approach integrates science and art intending to create a collective commitment to address climate change challenges and cultivate a sense of responsibility towards the environment.

The Concept of Sevendays was derived from the Snow leopard, a king that rules the snow-draped woods and the high alpine areas. It is fiercely powerful, adaptive, unintimidated, audacious extremely graceful, and possess the wholesomeness of beauty. The logo of Sevendays is designed impeccably by taking into consideration the aura of winters in Gilgit Baltistan. The theme of Sevendays signifies the fact that cubs are blind at birth and they take Seven Days to open their eyes. The yellow tint of the logo manifests the power, strength, and gracefulness of the leopard, also known as the black panther, which is the king animal of winter. The bluish hue of the logo represents the Crisp of ice or the Frozen Waters, moreover, the implicit meaning of this logo reflects the resilience of people in the north who celebrate the harshness of the colder phase of the year with warmth and joy. To our extreme disappointment, human actions are posing incredible threats to the existence of this treasured animal known as snow leopard. Nevertheless, through the platform of Sevendays winter feast and utilizing all other appropriate and available forums, the WWF, Parks and Wildlife, and the IUCN will gear up to run campaigns and drives for the conservation of this extremely precious animal.

For more information visit:       http://sevendayswinterfeast.com/