The three-day Thimphu Street Festival kicked off from yesterday. The festival, a first of its kind in the country, has Thimphu’s Norzin Lam stretch along the clock tower square sealed off to traffic.
A showcase of live street music, dance, art, culture and food is what the festival is all about.
Health advocacy programs, which includes free medical checkup, are other highlights of the festival.
“Non-communicable diseases are on the rise, so to help people with checkups for NCDs, the health ministry has put up a stall,” Thrompon Kinlay Dorjee said.
During the past Thimphu Tshechu festivals, the Norzin Lam was allotted to shops and businesses that set up stalls, selling goods of all kinds.
While the businesses benefited from it, there were concerns over wastes generated.
This time, the Thromde has moved the businesses to the Changlingmithang area and turned Norzin Lam into a stage for the first-ever live street festival.
“Most of them are not happy with the decision. Still, I would like to request them not to be upset as we have to give importance to the larger good of city over the interests of a few people,” the Thrompon said.
The street festival will run till Friday evening.
