Noida is hosting the hyper-local street food festival, ‘Noida Utsav’, which will feature street food from across the country under one roof.
Organized by the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), famous for hosting the National Street Food Festival in Delhi for the last 13 years, this three-day event is in collaboration with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).
The festival is being held at Noida Haat in Sector 32 and will run till February 4. It will run from noon to 10 pm.
Sangeeta Singh, Head of Street Food Program at NASVI, said that the expansion of the festival beyond Delhi aims to provide more opportunities to micro entrepreneurs and broaden the horizons of this culinary and cultural festival.
The Noida festival strives to provide an immersive experience to the visitors by bringing together handicraft artisans as well as street food vendors from across the country. The curated selection includes popular street foods like Aloo Chaat, Malai Kebab, Afghani Kebab, Tawa Chicken Litti, Malaiya Makhan and Saffron Milk along with handcrafted products like carpets, Khadi textiles, Tarkashi woodwork and terracotta artefacts.
This time, the organizers are emphasizing on the eco-friendly aspect of the event, declaring it a ‘zero waste’ food festival. To achieve this, they plan to eliminate single-use plastics by providing vendors with leaf-based, wood and bamboo cutlery as well as recyclable plastic containers. The waste generated during the festival will be carefully segregated, with organic waste being put to compost and packaging material being sent for recycling. Non-recyclable or non-compostable materials will be directed toward recycling initiatives.
Sanjay Gupta, a waste management expert associated with the organisers, expressed confidence that the festival will be a pioneering effort as the first ‘Zero Waste Food Festival’ in Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, NASVI National Coordinator Arabind Singh highlighted the broader goals of the festival, and stressed the importance of promoting street food vendors at the national and international level, providing them better livelihood opportunities.
Why should you consider visiting this festival?
Noida Utsav is not only a spectacular culinary extravaganza but also a platform for budding artisans and artists. At the festival, 50 vendors from different parts of the country will set up stalls to showcase their talent.
Panel discussions will also be organized to provide training to micro entrepreneurs, covering topics such as market understanding, Mudra loans and other government schemes. Overall, Noida Utsav will be a celebration of street culture, promote entrepreneurship and create a vibrant space for both vendors and visitors.