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Lahore’s cultural calendar has been packed this month as every weekend brings something new. After Basant and the Lahore Literary Festival, the 10th annual Faiz Festival will be held at the Alhamra Arts Council from this weekend.

The programme for the first day includes a grand inauguration ceremony followed by four book launches, a workshop on digital journalism and a theatre performance of the play Dara — a dramatised account of the power struggle between Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh and his brother, the future Emperor Aurangzeb.

The second day is even more packed with book launches, panel discussions and a condolence reference for the late educationist and scholar Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra.

The day will start with a dance performance by students of Lahore Grammar School and end with one by classical dancer Nighat Chaudhary. There’s also an open mic, a drum circle, a punjabi mushaira and a musical performance by the band Laal.

The third and final day will have many familiar faces from day two, but also a range of new activities like a puppetry workshop with puppeteer Yamina Peerzada.

The last day also includes a dance performance from Adnan Jahangir as well as an Urdu mushaira. There will also be Urdu readings by Ain Adab and a dastangoi (dramatic storytelling) session.

All in all, the weekend-long programme has 40 sessions and will serve as a launch platform for 25 books this year. The event is also expected to have a variety of cultural stalls and food available onsite for attendees.