Abu Dhabi: The heat may be difficult at times and many of your friends may have travelled abroad for their summer vacations.
But if you’re still here in Abu Dhabi, a host of colourful entertainment events and special offers will provide many reasons to venture outdoors.
With extensive holiday offers at dozens of hotels and resorts across the emirate, as well as a number of concerts and workshops, the activities for Abu Dhabi Summer Season are designed to keep people of all ages engaged.
The initiatives, which extend from June 5 to August 31, are being held under the umbrella of the emirate’s advisory and regulatory body, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), in collaboration with a number of public and private entities, including Flash Entertainment and the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
At a press conference held earlier on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market 2014, Sultan Al Daheri, acting executive director for tourism at the TCA, said the emirate is targeting travellers from the GCC region and India for the summer extravaganza.
“We want to establish Abu Dhabi as a year-round destination. I can promise everyone that there’s much more to Abu Dhabi this summer season with the programme boasting events ranging from international performances to local sporting challenges, mall activations and the best summer deals around for hotels and attractions,” he said.
Special offers
About 50 hotels in the emirate are running special offers that include an additional night’s stay, or up to 25 per cent discount on prices.
Among the most eagerly awaited events are a series of concerts in August organised at the Emirates Palace by Flash Entertainment, including one featuring reality-show-winning Arab singers Mohammad Assaf, Ahmad Al Bayed and Mohammad Al Dairi, and another by popular Indian singer Sunidhi Chauhan.
Renowned American illusionist and endurance artist David Blaine will perform a number of daring feats at the Emirates Palace. Some of the best Arab stand-up comedy artistes will also hold two sessions to tickle guests’ funny bones.
Those who prefer the culinary arts will be delighted to learn that America’s favourite baker and cake artist, Buddy Valastro, will meet with fans, give live cake decoration demos and organise a cake decoration contest.
And a majestic theatrical show by Canadian circus artistes Cirque du Soleil, entitled La Verita, will also captivate the audience.
While these shows are yet to enthral audiences in the capital, those that have already been organised have proved extremely popular among residents.
One of these is the annual Ramadan and Eid Festival at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, which began on July 12 and will wrap up on Saturday.
“The exhibition features dozens of pavilions offering a variety of items for sale, including traditional clothing, perfumes, accessories and exotic snacks. And this year, we have seen a 25 per cent increase in the number of visitors, with about 4,000 people coming by every day,” Ayman Ghaly, marketing manager at festival organiser Real Show Expo, told Gulf News.
Residents also flocked to the nightly Ramadan activities for families at the World Trade Centre Mall, which included quiz competitions, storytelling sessions and a date gallery.
At the same time, the art exhibition entitled ‘History of the World in 100 Objects; was equally well-received. The display was organised in collaboration with the British Museum, and included objects to demonstrate the progress of mankind over two million years. Sharifa Bin Horaiz, manager of art content development at the TCA Abu Dhabi, said that exhibition-related workshops and tours had alone seen more than 4,000 participants during the show’s run.
