[2][3] The festival, managed with the help of local volunteers, features print exhibitions, workshops, talks and panel discussions, a mixed-media residency, slideshow nights, portfolio reviews and an arts and education programme.
[4] It distinguished itself by being an open air festival,[5][6] anchored in the local communities of Patan and Kathmandu, and using public spaces such as courtyards, squares, alleys and drinking fountains to exhibit photographic bodies of work and to present slideshows.
[12] The festival has exhibited works from renowned artists such as Philip Blenkinsop,[13] Amar Kanwar,[14] Sohrab Hura[15] Kevin Bubriski,[16] Munem Wasif,[16] and Tasneem Alsultan.
[10][18] Twenty years after the end of the Nepalese Civil War, the 2016 edition focused on stories of resilience from across South Asia,[19] showcasing and celebrating how people face and overcome hardship.
[26] In light of its curatorial framework and in the context of the #MeToo movement in South Asia, Photo Kathmandu was one of the first institutions to take action by publishing, and making its participants adhere to, a "No Bullshit - Code of Conduct".