What happened
The Pakistan Tourism, Sports and Family Festival 2026 opens today, Friday 6 November, in Islamabad, and runs through Sunday 8 November. It is the second edition of the festival, bringing together tourism, culture, sports, adventure, food and family entertainment under one platform. The main venue is the Pakistan Sports Complex, with tent pegging at F-9 Park on Saturday and paragliding from the Margalla Hills near Monal down to Shalimar Cricket Ground across all three days.
The opening day programme starts at 10:00 AM, with a car show from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, the opening ceremony at 2:00 PM and a ribbon cutting at 2:05 PM. A double-decker bus safari runs from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, lantern flying is scheduled for 6:00 PM, and a musical concert follows from 7:00 PM onwards, with stage performances and paragliding running through the day. General entry is free for all visitors, although selected concerts, rides and premium activities may require separate tickets or charges. Organisers expect more than 150,000 visitor entries across the three days.
Across the weekend, attractions include rock climbing, archery, a paintball arena, hot-air balloons, powered paragliding, a Pakistani food festival and food stalls, a handicrafts and shopping bazaar, a tourism pavilion and destination exhibitions, a pet show and a Fun City carnival. The festival is organised by the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, with the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation as the lead implementing agency, and provincial tourism pavilions — including Gilgit-Baltistan — are part of the exhibition.
What it means for travellers
For anyone in Islamabad this weekend — including travellers passing through the capital at the start or end of a northern trip — this is a free, large-scale showcase of Pakistan’s destinations, and the Gilgit-Baltistan pavilion is a useful first stop for trip ideas and contacts. The practical details are straightforward: the main venue is the Pakistan Sports Complex, general public entry is through Gate 5, and entry itself is free, though some activities inside may charge separately. Saturday is the day for tent pegging at F-9 Park, and paragliding runs from the Margalla Hills on all three days.
Two cautions before going: the organisers say schedules, venue arrangements and activity availability may change due to operational, weather or safety considerations, so check the official festival site for the latest updates before heading out; and with more than 150,000 visitors expected, the weekend — especially Saturday — is likely to be crowded, so arriving early is the sensible move.
Source: Pakistan Tourism Sports and Family Fest (official site)
