Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi will come alive for the three-month ‘Summer Season’ festival that will commence on June 11 and run until September 5 with international entertainment shows for children, families and adults.
The Summer Season covers the period of the school holidays, Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr. A slew of entertainment options are lined up, with malls and hotels in active participation, to make summer in Abu Dhabi a fun-filled experience.
Summer Season is organised by the Tourism and Culture Authority Abu Dhabi (TCA-AD), which has teamed up with leading UAE event organisers to bring some spectacular events and deliver a memorable three-month season for UAE’s stay-at-home residents and visitors, particularly from the GCC, India and Europe.
Summer Season will also see a range of hotel and flight promotions on offer at select locations, including ticket discounts to Ferrari World, Yas Circuit and plenty of food outlets.
Sultan Al Daheri, Acting Executive Director of Tourism Sector, TCA Abu Dhabi, announcing the Summer Season line-up at a press conference in Abu Dhabi, said: “With the support of its partners and stakeholders, Abu Dhabi Summer Season 2014 witnessed great success in providing exceptional experiences to visitors and residents alike. This year, we are welcoming additional partners and stakeholders on board who are excited to bring thrilling shows and promotional offers to Abu Dhabi.”
Last year’s Summer Season witnessed over 780,000 guest arrivals in comparison with the same period in 2013. “Guest nights from the GCC increased by 25 per cent, while those from India went up by 26 per cent and European visitors up by 19 per cent,” said Al Dhaheri.
Alexis Djiksterhuis, Vice-President of Strategy at Flash Entertainment, that is brining a weekend comedy extravaganza of international and regional comedians to Abu Dhabi city, said, “This is the third year we have worked with the TCA to assemble a line-up of shows that appeal to residents and visitors of all ages.|”
For youngsters, this summer looks promising. Shaun the Sheep, Barney and Sesame Street will dazzle the with edutainment performances. “In its world premiere, the Barney show will be held in Abu Dhabi and the Western Region over the course of six days,” said Sia Far, managing director of the Alchemy Project. “Sesame Street will come back to Abu Dhabi and Al Ain for five or six days while Hans Klok, ‘the world’s fastest illusionist’, wows audiences for one or two days in the capital city.
“Myth Busters will carry out experiments on stage for two days in Abu Dhabi during their Middle East debut. The Illuminaire fire and light spectacular and the Mummenschanz musicians of silence will also be featured during the festive season,” he added.
Flash Entertainment will bring Saudi singer Mohammad Abdo to Abu Dhabi on Friday, July 17, in addition to upcoming Emirati singer Habeeb Alyasi who will be at Yas Island and Al Ain on July 17 and 18 respectively.
YAK Events will be bringing a ‘Comedy Friday’, and Indian singing sensation Shreya Ghoshal to Abu Dhabi as part of the summer season.
Kamyar Khalili, CEO, YAK Events, said: “We’re thrilled to announce the first Comedy Friday, and the Shreya Ghoshal live concert as our contribution towards this year’s Abu Dhabi Summer Season.”
