As the winter sun dipped behind the red-brick arches of the Alhamra Arts Council, the 10th edition of the Faiz Festival officially commenced on Friday, February 13, 2026. This year’s festival, titled “Chand Ko Gul Karein To Hum Janen” (If you extinguish the moon, then we shall see), marks a decade of celebrating the revolutionary spirit of Faiz Ahmed Faiz in his home city of Lahore.
The Inauguration: A Birthday and a Legacy
The atmosphere on the first day was electric, double-charged by the fact that the opening coincided with Faiz’s 115th birthday. The ceremony, held in the open-air foyer, was a family affair that felt like a gift to the city.
Chairperson of the Faiz Foundation, Salima Hashmi, alongside Alhamra Chairman Razi Ahmed, welcomed a global cohort of delegates, reminding the crowd that while the festival began ten years ago with just 70 people in a small hall, it has now become a sprawling cultural phenomenon.
Adeel Hashmi brought the crowd to a standstill with his powerful recitations of Faiz’s poetry, while the legendary Naeem Bukhari lightened the mood with intimate, witty anecdotes about the poet’s life.
Representing Alhamra as its chairman, an honour for me to make opening remarks at the prestigious Faiz Festival. My heartfelt congratulations to the organisers in particular Moneeza Hashmi for their dedicated efforts to promote free speech, poetry, and popular culture. #lahore pic.twitter.com/lwRJJTQKog
— Razi Ahmed (@razi_ahmed_) February 13, 2026
Art, Architecture, and “The Missing Prayer”
The first day wasn’t just about looking back; it was about the “fragility” of our modern world.
The festival opened with a unique visual art show by Naveen Haider. A plant scientist and textile artist, Haider’s work explored “ecological loss” by stitching endangered flora into fabric, a literal representation of the land’s memory and the care it demands.
In Hall 3, the launch of Faiqa Mansab’s new novel, The Sufi Storyteller, drew a massive crowd, while a session on “Pakistani Architecture” featured giants like Kamil Khan Mumtaz and Kamran Lashari debating the soul of our urban spaces.
Ammar Aziz launched his collection, The Missing Prayer, in a session that touched on taboo subjects with a raw, refreshing honesty that Faiz himself would have championed.
Evening Shadows: “Dara” Takes the Stage
As evening fell, the focus shifted to the performing arts. Ajoka Theatre presented their internationally acclaimed play, Dara, a haunting dramatization of the power struggle between Mughal brothers Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb. It was a fitting end to Day One, reminding the audience that the struggle between pluralism and dogma is as old as the soil of Lahore itself.
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With 40 sessions and a weekend of drum circles, mushairas, and debates, the 10th Faiz Festival has already proven that in a fragile world, the poet’s voice is still the strongest bridge we have.
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