HYDERABAD : It was a perfect wrap to the week when The Summer Carnival by Unekha ended on Sunday -- with an evening full of music, food and shopping at Phoenix Arena, HITEC City. The event, which was open to all, mostly drew young IT professionals who shopped from the various stalls and chomped on food from stalls set up on decorated floats. The carnival organisers had curated stalls that ranged from startup brands, local artists and women-run businesses for its flea market. It also had arts and crafts, jewellery, handlooms, handmade products and sustainable clothing stalls.
There was a book reading session with author Devika Das, who read ‘Meghana’, and author Divya Murarka, who read ‘Purnah - The Complete Parent’. This apart, an open mic session was held for independent musicians from the city. The food stalls dished out delicious and nostalgic items such as popsicles, goli sodas and fresh ice-apples.
“This is the first festival I have attended after the pandemic broke out. It was so much fun. The live music in the background was soothing, and the lighting set the mood for a carnival,” 31-year-old Ashwin Kumar, who was at the venue with his dog Dusky and friend Sandhya, said. Another visitor, Kanchan, a software engineer, had got to know about the carnival only the night before from a friend. “I was looking at spending time with my family. We loved the ambience and the stalls,” she said. The New Indian Express was the media partner.