NAPA festivals bring together diverse performers in celebration of theatre, music and dance.
NAPA INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL
Held in March every year since 2012
The NAPA International Performing Arts Festival is the flagship event at NAPA. The festival was initiated in 2012 and is now held annually in March. In 2019 the festival featured 8 international theatre and music performances and 19 performances from Pakistan. In 2020 the festival was cut short due to the lock down necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The next full edition of the International Performing Arts Festival is planned for March 2022 subject to travel restrictions at the time. A smaller Karachi wide Performing Arts festival is planned for March 2021.
KARACHI LAUGHTER FEST
Held in January every year since 2018
The Karachi Laughter Fest brings together the various forms of comic performance in one hilarious festival. This annual festival was first staged in 2018 and is held in January ever year. The festival features comedies, improvisational performances, stand-up comedy and a few performances of Dastangoi.
The most recent festival in January 2020 saw the performance of three plays on three successive weekends. The next edition is planned for January 2021.
JASHN SAWAN KA
Held in July every year since 2019
Jashn Sawan Ka is a new addition to the annual calendar of events at NAPA. Envisaged as a festival of contemporary theatre, the festival invites directors to stage innovative and compelling plays. These can be contemporary plays or new interpretations and expressions of classical works. The festival is performed in July and August with plays being performed on successive weekends. Four plays were selected in 2019. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
SADA E NAU
Held in November every year since 2015
The NAPA Young Directors festival has been renamed Sada-e-Nau in 2019. This was the third edition of this bi-annual festival with the first being staged in 2015. The festival features the directorial efforts of recent NAPA graduates. Many directors make their professional directorial debut in this festival. The festival in 2019 featured five young directors of whom 3 were making their directorial debut. Each play was performed for 2 nights. The next edition of the Sada e Nau festival will take place in November 2021.
BACHPAN KE RUNG
Held in September every year since 2019
Bachpan kay Rung is a festival of theatre for children to be held annually in September and October. The festival will invite directors to stage exciting plays for children of different ages. This festival builds on the past practice at NAPA of staging plays for children since 2013. Public performances of the plays are held on Saturday and Sunday while schools may book morning shows for their students on the weekdays. The festival in 2019 featured four plays. The festival in 2020 had to be cancelled due to Covid-19.