A new Instagram-led platform, Commons Karachi, plans to host a two-day festival, which will include a makers market, a food court, storytelling and art workshops, panel discussions and a musical evening on January 8th and 9th, 2022.

With at least 60 vendors, the makers market hopes to be a mix of lifestyle brands, modern clothing, health and wellness and engaging art. The Commons Karachi has hosted two successful makers markets in 2021, and will be kicking off the New Year with a third chapter.

The organizer of the event, Sitwat Rizvi who works in construction and design with her husband, told Aaj News they initially wanted to start a farmers market at a space they had worked on in Karachi, but her passion for arts and crafts swayed them into organizing a makers market.

“Anything that’s skilled based is very intriguing to me, so I was like let’s do a makers market and I got about twenty people, mostly whose work I enjoyed or I liked to buy from for myself,” said Rizvi. “We decided to do it on a random Sunday afternoon for four hours, and this whole time I feared that nobody was going to show up. We didn’t do any big advertising, just a little bit through our personal network and on Instagram but surprisingly about 400 people showed up,” she added.

The first market was held in March with 20 vendors and 400 attendees, the second took place in July with 40 vendors and 1000 attendees.

“People attending the event in large number reinforced for us that there’s really something here. People really seem to enjoy this experience. There have been several pop ups in Karachi after our's but I think what’s different about our event, especially this time when it’s expanded into a two day festival is that there’s a market of course – the heart of our event. We have 60 vendors, we have some people flying in from Islamabad, Lahore, we have a food court, and we also have a stage for panel discussions,” said Rizvi.

After the first successful makers market, what surprised the organizers was that most of the vendors turned out to be women. It included women with full-time job, mothers with young children, and even old ladies. “They’re making things from home. They’re making jewelry, they’re making candles, they’re making furniture, and home accessories,” Rizvi told Aaj News.

People attending the festival can look forward to panel discussions for women, stand-up comedy with both male and female comedians in the line-up, and music. “I wanted to get female acts but then we got cool and fun male acts that appeal to a female audience so the point was that it should make girls happy in any possible way.”

“Everything is kind of women-centric and we just want it to be a wholesome experience. The Commons has now become a platform to support women-led businesses. It’s a new avenue for women to promote their products and get a stage, get a voice, and get to interact with the community. It’s a safe space for women,” said Rizvi.

The festival will take place at Alliance Française de Karachi from 12 to 10pm.