The Pakistan Tourism Sports and Family Festival is coming back to the capital, and this time it is aiming higher. The second edition of the festival will run from November 6 to 8 at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad, with organisers hoping that around 150,000 people will visit over the three days. The dates were announced on October 25 by Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Tourism, at a ceremony at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where the Chamber and the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) signed a memorandum of understanding to organise and promote the festival together.
Paragliding, Tent Pegging and Hot Air Balloons: What Visitors Can Expect
The programme is designed to keep every age group busy from morning to evening. Adventure seekers can watch paragliding demonstrations and try rock climbing, while one of Pakistan’s oldest equestrian sports, tent pegging, brings riders at full gallop to spear targets from the saddle. A vintage car show and hot air balloons rising over the complex add colour, and cultural performances, traditional crafts and food stalls from across the country promise the flavours and sounds of every province in one place, with family entertainment running throughout the three days.
The formula has already been tested. The festival’s first edition, held on January 31 and February 1 this year at the Jinnah Sports Complex, the stadium at the heart of the Pakistan Sports Complex, and at F-9 Park, drew thousands of families and diplomatic representatives from several countries, according to the PTDC. It featured provincial tourism pavilions, food and family arenas, sports competitions, a marathon and cycling events, and it closed with a grand musical concert and fireworks. Organisers are now scaling that template up to three days and a far bigger crowd.
The audience the organisers expect reflects that ambition. Around 150,000 visitors over three days would make the festival one of the largest public gatherings in the capital this year, and the announcement ceremony itself drew ICCI executive committee members, business leaders from various sectors and representatives of the hospitality and hotel industry, the very sectors that stand to gain when a city fills with guests. For hotels, restaurants, transport operators and craft sellers, a weekend on this scale is a direct boost, and for Islamabad it is one more rehearsal for hosting bigger international events in the future.
Why the Pakistan Tourism Sports and Family Festival Matters
For Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, the festival is about more than a good weekend. He told the ceremony that reviving tourism was a collective responsibility, and a powerful way of replacing disappointment with happiness, hope and economic opportunities, urging every stakeholder to take ownership of the effort. He said greater international visibility was essential to attract foreign visitors and to demonstrate Pakistan’s capacity to host vibrant cultural, musical, sporting and tourism events.
That push will extend beyond the festival grounds. The Adviser proposed engaging Pakistan’s diplomatic missions abroad to invite international content creators to the festival, so they can showcase the country’s tourism attractions and cultural richness to global audiences in their own languages and styles. The festival also extends a year of real momentum for the sector, which has already seen Pakistan Travel Mart 2026 bring more than 250 exhibitors from 20 countries to Karachi in April.
Trade Through Travel: The Business Push Behind the Festival
For the business community, the Pakistan Tourism Sports and Family Festival is a working opportunity, not just a day out. ICCI President Mohammad Zikria Akbar Zia said Pakistan possessed exceptional tourism potential extending far beyond Islamabad, particularly in the northern areas, including Swat, Chitral, Gilgit and Skardu. He emphasised the need to improve air connectivity, tourism infrastructure and international outreach to attract more foreign tourists, particularly from Arab countries, and said turning potential into income required better facilities, professional management, sustainable tourism practices and stronger public-private partnerships.
Zia described exhibitions, conferences and festivals as engines of business, bringing investors, entrepreneurs, tourists and business communities together, and termed “Trade through Travel” an effective approach to strengthening commercial relations and expanding economic cooperation. The Chamber’s push sits alongside a wider effort to bring investors to the capital, including the Pakistan Canada investment treaty talks that concluded their third round in Islamabad this month. ICCI Senior Vice President Mohammad Ashfaq Hussain Chatha added that tourism was a dynamic economic sector capable of generating employment, attracting investment and promoting entrepreneurship, while Vice President Mohammad Waqas Khan Swati said the Chamber would facilitate its members’ participation and extend promotional and coordination support, with the PTDC collaboration supporting local enterprise development and youth employment. Former ICCI President Sardar Tahir Mehmood also welcomed the initiative, saying such events could project a positive image of the country.
It is the latest in a string of big home showcases this year, after Lahore hosted Pakistan’s first global PUBG Mobile event in October. For families in and around the capital, though, the appeal of the Pakistan Tourism Sports and Family Festival is simpler: three November days of adventure sports, music, crafts and food at the Pakistan Sports Complex, and a chance to see the whole country in one ground.
Sources
- Centreline (DNA news agency report): Pakistan Tourism, Sports & Family Festival to be held in Islamabad from November 6 to 8
- The News: Three-day tourism and family festival to begin from November 6
- Islamabad Post: Pakistan Tourism, Sports & Family Festival to be held in Islamabad from November 6 to 8
- Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation: Pakistan Tourism, Sports & Family Festival 2026, first edition report
- Photo: Jinnah Stadium at the Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad, via FootballPakistan.com
Umar is an engineer by profession and a passionate writer by passion. He has a deep interest in sharing good news related to Pakistan and has been working hard to promote the positive image of his homeland. Umar has written numerous articles on various topics related to Pakistan, such as technology, sports, culture, and economy.