ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tourism Sports Family Festival 2026 is under way in the capital, with three days of adventure sports, culture, food and family fun drawing crowds to the Pakistan Sports Complex. The second edition of the festival opened on Friday 6 November and runs until Sunday 8 November, with events spread across the sports complex, F-9 Park and the Margalla Hills. Families, students and foreign visitors are attending in large numbers, and the organisers hope the festival will show the best of Pakistan tourism in one place.
The festival is being held at the Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad November 6 to 8, with the Jinnah Stadium as the main venue and tent pegging at F-9 Park. The event is organised by the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation and the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, and it brings together tourism, sports, culture, adventure and family entertainment under one roof. The first edition was held on 31 January and 1 February this year, and it drew thousands of families and diplomats from several countries, according to the tourism corporation. The second edition aims to be bigger, with more events and more visitors.
The opening day set the tone, with paragliding, paramotoring, hot air ballooning, horse riding and a heavy bike show among the main attractions. Paragliders flew from Monal in the Margalla Hills down to the Shalimar Cricket Ground, giving visitors a rare view of the capital from the air. The managing director of the tourism corporation, Aftab ur Rehman Rana, was present at the opening, along with visitors, diplomats and foreign tourists. Cultural stalls, sports contests and musical programmes added to the festival mood through the day.
Saturday brings a full programme of its own, and paragliding tent pegging hot air balloons Islamabad visitors can watch all three on the same day. The professional cycling competition begins at 8 in the morning, tent pegging starts at F-9 Park at 10 in the morning, and a car show, a double decker bus safari and cultural performances fill the rest of the day. Tent pegging is one of the oldest equestrian sports in Pakistan. The evening brings music and celebrations to close the second day.
Sunday is the grand finale, with a family and kids run and ride starting at 2 in the afternoon, along with the closing events of the festival. The programme is designed to keep every age group busy from morning to evening, with rock climbing, a vintage car show, traditional handicrafts and food stalls running through the three days. Children can enjoy rides and games, while parents can browse craft stalls from different parts of the country. The food stalls offer dishes from across Pakistan, so visitors can taste the regions as well as see them.
The festival is open long hours to fit family schedules, and the festival open 11 am to 10 pm timing runs on all three days. General entry is free, though some attractions, rides and special events may need separate tickets or registration. Visitors are advised to check the latest updates from the organisers before they set out, because schedules and venues can change for weather or safety reasons. The organisers have asked families to arrive early on the weekend, when the crowds are expected to be largest.
The festival was announced on 25 October by Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan tourism adviser to the prime minister, at a ceremony at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry. At the same ceremony, the chamber and the tourism corporation signed an agreement to organise and promote the festival together. The adviser said the event would help promote domestic tourism and show the world that Pakistan is a safe and welcoming place for visitors. Private sponsors have also backed the festival, which is part of a wider push to grow tourism in the country.
Tourism is also on the agenda in government meetings this week, and the planning minister, Ahsan Iqbal, called on Thursday for an autonomous Pakistan Tourism Authority. He was speaking at a meeting where the tourism adviser briefed officials on the steps taken to promote tourism and the achievements of 2025-26. The adviser told the meeting that the festival would begin in Islamabad on Friday, with events at several places across the capital. A single authority, the minister argued, would give tourism a clearer direction and stronger planning.
One figure should be read with care: the organisers say they expect around 150,000 people to visit over the three days, but that is an expectation, not a counted attendance. The first edition drew thousands of families, but no final attendance figure will be known until the festival ends. The PTDC Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation festival team will count the crowds at the end. For now, the festival is doing what it set out to do, and Islamabad has a weekend full of colour, sport and family fun.
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