Pakistan celebrates many festivals and fairs. Festivals in Pakistan are characterized by color, gaiety, enthusiasm, prayers and ritual. Foreign travelers are strike by the array of different Pakistani festivals that have evolved in the society.

Many of the festivals and holidays featured in calendar are celebrate on religious occasions. Others are in memory of national heroes or commemorate political events in the nation’s recent history. Muslim festivals are celebrated according to Muslim (Lunar) Calendar and may occur some 10 days earlier each successive Christian Year. There are several folk festivals held regularly in every part of the country. Exact dates of such festivals are fixed annually by the District Administration of the respective area, at least 01 month in advance. Some festivals welcome the seasons of the year, the harvest, the rains, or the full moon.

A number of these festivals are common to most parts of Pakistan. However, they may be called by different names in various parts of the country or may be celebrated in a different fashion.

Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Christians in Pakistan also celebrate their own festivals and holidays. Sikhs come from across the world to visit several holy sites in Punjab, including the shrine of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, at Hassan Abdal in the Attock District, and his birthplace, at Nankana Sahib. There are also several regional and local festivals, such as the Punjabi festival of Basant, which marks the start of spring and is celebrated by kite flying.