National Street Food Festival ‘Noida Utsav’ Takes Place in Noida Until February 4

Noida is currently the proud host of the hyper-local street food festival, ‘Noida Utsav,’ offering a diverse array of street food delights from across the country, all under one roof. Organized by the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), renowned for orchestrating the National Street Food Festival in Delhi for the past 13 years, this three-day extravaganza is a collaborative effort with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI).

Taking place at Noida Haat in Sector 32, this festival will continue to enthrall visitors until February 4, operating from noon to 10 PM daily.

Sangeeta Singh, the street food program head at NASVI, shared that the expansion of the festival beyond Delhi aims to provide more opportunities to micro-entrepreneurs, broadening the horizons of this culinary and cultural celebration. Noida Utsav strives to deliver an immersive experience by bringing together street food vendors from around the country, alongside handicraft artisans. The carefully curated selection includes popular street foods like aloo chaat, malai kebab, afghani kebab, tava chicken litti, malaiya makhan, and kesariya doodh, alongside handicraft products such as carpets, khadi garments, tarkashi woodwork, and terracotta artifacts.

Best historic sites in Asia to visit in 2024 FacebookTwitterPintrest This time, the organizers are putting a spotlight on the eco-friendly aspect of the event, declaring it a ‘zero waste’ food festival. To achieve this, they plan to eliminate single-use plastic by providing vendors with leaf-based, wooden, and bamboo cutlery, as well as recyclable plastic containers. The waste generated during the festival will be meticulously segregated, with organic waste earmarked for composting and packaging materials sent for recycling. Non-recyclable or non-compostable materials will be directed toward upcycling initiatives.

Sanjay Gupta, a waste management expert associated with the organizers, expressed confidence that this festival will mark a pioneering effort as the first ‘zero waste food festival’ in Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Arbind Singh, the national coordinator for NASVI, highlighted the festival’s broader goals, emphasizing the importance of promoting street food vendors on a national and international scale, providing them with enhanced livelihood opportunities.

The Noida Utsav is not merely a culinary extravaganza; it is also a platform for budding artisans and performers. The festival will feature 50 vendors from various parts of the country, setting up stalls to showcase their talents. Panel discussions will be organized to offer training to micro-entrepreneurs, covering topics such as market understanding, Mudra loans, and other government schemes. Overall, the Noida Utsav will be a celebration of street culture, fostering entrepreneurship and creating a vibrant space for both vendors and visitors alike.