The festival will feature competitions with local and international chefs, pilaf-cooking master classes, handicraft fairs, and cultural-entertainment programs.

The event will kick off with a competition among local chefs at the Sultan Khavand Takhur Mausoleum – Ashrathona. On the second day, foreign chefs will showcase their skills on Alisher Navoi Street. Visitors will be treated to over 20 types of pilaf — ranging from the classic versions of Fergana and Tashkent to Afghan, Iranian, Arab, and other national varieties.

On the final day of the festival, 7 tons of Samarkand pilaf will be cooked by the region’s top chefs in the historical and ethnographic park Eternal City.

The pilaf prepared during the festival will be distributed to institutions such as mercy homes, specialized boarding schools for children with disabilities, and homes for the elderly.