A four-day festival celebrating Arab poetry is coming to Abu Dhabi

The final auditions for this year's Million’s Poet competition will take place at the festival. Photo: Million's Poet

The inaugural Abu Dhabi Poetry Festival is coming to Adnec for a four-day event.

Set to take place from Thursday to October 15, the festival is in co-operation with the Emirates Heritage Club and organised by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee – Abu Dhabi.

More than 1,000 poets are expected to attend, along with local, regional and international authors and writers in what is being hailed as “the largest celebration of Arab poetry". It aims to showcase a range of styles, such as Nabati and classic Arabic poetry, to help broaden its appeal to a wider audience.

There will be pavilions, including one dedicated to Sheikh Zayed, the UAE’s founder father, and another specifically for Emirati poetry, while a platform called Poetry Trail will shed light on the stages and evolution of Arab poetry throughout history.

Cultural seminars and poetry sessions will also take place with writers from various Arab countries. There will be a book signing corner with meet and greets and a special pavilion for children to discover poetry. The final auditions for Million’s Poet, a competition show created to revive Nabati poetry and find the most talented Arabic poet, will also take place at the festival.

In addition to activities, the event aims to support the cultural and literary movement in the Arab World and provide a platform for writers, poets, and literary figures to meet and connect. There will also be a conference at the end, from Thursday to Saturday that focuses on critical and academic studies, as well as different genres of Arabic poetry.

“The Abu Dhabi Poetry Festival comes in line with the dedicated cultural approach of the emirate of Abu Dhabi and its significant role in supporting culture-related and heritage-preservation initiatives, contributing to events taking place in the UAE,” said major general staff pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, who is also the Abu Dhabi Police Commander-in-Chief and chairman of the Cultural Programs and Heritage Festivals Committee – Abu Dhabi.

“Abu Dhabi is widely recognised as a nurturing environment for poetry, creativity and talent. It is an enthusiastic supporter of the literary arts, contributing to the cultivation of literary creativity. The emirate is keen on fostering and nurturing intellectual awareness in the Arab world and enriching the Arab cultural scene. Most importantly, Abu Dhabi is devoted to preserving the poetic, literary, and cultural heritage of the UAE and Arabic-speaking countries."