KARACHI – The 25-day Third World Culture Festival Karachi 2026, organised by the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, will officially open today, October 30, with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah inaugurating the festival.

 Addressing a press conference ahead of the event, Arts Council President Muhammad Ahmed Shah and Provincial Minister for Culture and Tourism Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah briefed the media on the festival’s objectives and programme. International artists also attended the briefing. Muhammad Ahmed Shah said the festival was not about setting records but about conveying a message of peace, equality, love and cultural harmony to the world. 

He said the festival had played a significant role over the past two years in placing Pakistan more prominently on the global cultural map. This year, around 1,000 artists from 150 countries will participate, alongside artists representing all provinces of Pakistan, showcasing the country’s cultural diversity from the Himalayan Mountain region to the coast of Gwadar. Pakistani and international artists will also present collaborative performances, providing young students of the Arts Council with opportunities to work alongside artists from around the world. Financial assistance is also arranged for international artists facing limited resources, he added. He said this year, 80 to 85 per cent of the participating artists are new, including dancers, musicians, theatre artists, filmmakers, directors, painters and sculptors. Efforts are also being made to include artists with special needs. The Arts Council president said that 97 to 98 per cent of the festival’s activities would be free to the public, with online registration available for attendance. Registration may be restricted once venue capacity is reached, and additional arrangements are being made to accommodate the growing public interest.

 The 25-day festival will feature a wide range of cultural activities, including art exhibitions, mega concerts, theatre, music and dance performances. He said internationally acclaimed pianists, Spanish flamenco performers, artists from the British Royal Ballet, approximately 70 performers from two Russian dance groups, and Tajikistan’s presidential orchestra would take part in the festival. Artists from Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and several African countries are also arriving in Karachi. Five groups from Spain are scheduled to participate; however, the Spanish ambassador will be unable to attend due to three days of mourning following a train accident in Spain. Muhammad Ahmed Shah further announced that a group of Iranian-origin artists would present Layla Majnun on October 31. Most of the performers are based in France, the United Kingdom and other countries. 

Provincial Minister for Culture and Tourism Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah welcomed the participating artists from around the world, saying that artists transcended language barriers and conveyed a universal message of peace and love. He called for visa restrictions on artists to be lifted worldwide so they could travel freely and share their work internationally. The minister said international artists visiting Pakistan were experiencing the country’s culture, hospitality and historical heritage firsthand. Arrangements had been made for them to visit Karachi’s historic landmarks, cultural sites and coastal areas, as well as sample local cuisine. These experiences, he said, would help promote Pakistan’s positive image internationally and challenge negative perceptions about the country. 

In the end of press conference, a memorandum of understanding on cultural exchange had been signed between the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi and Ecuador and Mexico. Under these agreements, artists from the respective countries would have opportunities to perform and teach their art in one another’s countries, while Pakistani students and artists could also participate in cultural and artistic activities abroad. similar cultural agreements had already been signed with the United Kingdom and France and Latin America.