8th Youth Performing Arts Festival will start from Thursday (tomorrow) without any formal inauguration at Peeru's Café. The five-day youth festival will be held at the plot adjacent to the Peeru's café, which has been named as Rafi Peer Theater Cultural Complex. Rafi Peer Theater Workshop (RTPW) in collaboration with Royal Norwegian Embassy is organising the event.
Earlier, the youth festival used to be held at Alhamra Cultural Complex Gaddafi Stadium but due to security concerns, the festival has been shifted to Raiwind Road. Directors of Rafi Peer Theater Workshops Faizan Peerzada and Tasneem Peerzada told journalists details of the event at Lahore Press Club on Tuesday.
Faizan Peerzada said that the venue of the festival was quite spacious. Various stalls would be set up at the festival to guide people about the ongoing performances of the even, he said.
Talking about the security arrangements, Faizan said that SSP would visit the venue on Wednesday (today). Private security guards had also been hired. "This venue is safer than middle of the town," he said.
A large number of students from Lahore Grammar School (LGS), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), UMT, Punjab University, University of Engineering and Technology (UET), National College of Arts (NCA) and Kinnaird College will participate in the event. Besides, for the first time, youth who are not enrolled in any schools or universities will also perform at the event. Some bands and groups including Commandant, Impetus, Viscosity, Anarchy, V8, Odyssey, 86 Age, Medical Rejects, Suicide Note and others will also perform at the event.
The festival will start at 5.30pm on Thursday and will remain continued till Monday. Kathak Dance performances by the students of Nahid Siddiqui are also on the cards. Noted choreographer Umair Arif who won two awards at the International Youth Performing Arts Festival held in 2007 and 2008 will also perform at the event.