Events / 23 September
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Pashtun Culture Day
Attan dance, rubab music, poetry, and hospitality, a celebration of Pashtun identity across KP and beyond.
Marked on 23 September, Pashtun Culture Day fills campuses and city centres in KP, Balochistan, and Karachi with traditional dress, turbans, the circular Attan dance, rubab and mangey music, Pashto poetry, and the famed melmastia (hospitality).
- Attan dance
- Rubab music
- Pashto poetry
- Chapli kebab & melmastia
- Fixed date
- When to plan
- Fixed on 23 September each year.
- Getting there
- Peshawar is the cultural hub, with major gatherings also in Quetta and Karachi's Pashtun neighbourhoods.
Identity on show
Expect rings of dancers performing Attan to the rubab and drums, poetry recitals, and stalls of dress and craft. It is a proud, public celebration of Pashtun culture.
Pair with Peshawar
Combine the day with Peshawar's old city, Qissa Khwani Bazaar, Sethi Houses, and the food streets, for a deeper sense of Pashtun heritage.
More in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Region guide →
May
Chilam Joshi (Joshi)
The Kalasha spring festival, milk stored for days, processions, and group dancing at the Charso grounds in Bumburet.
June - July
Shandur Polo Festival
The world's highest polo ground, Chitral and Gilgit teams meet on a plateau above the clouds.
Late August
Uchal (Uchau)
Kalasha harvest thanksgiving, cheese, bread, and rituals marking the end of the high pasture season.
