Fort festival sets a new attendance record

Organisers expect attendance records to be broken during the opening days of the festival, which celebrates Abu Dhabi's culture and heritage.

Emirati men chat while gahwa, or traditional coffee, is being brewed at Qasr Al Hosn on the opening day. Silvia Razgova / Crown Prince Court

ABU DHABI // The opening weekend of the Qasr Al Hosn Festival has set a new attendance record, organisers say.

“You can say that we hit very high numbers this weekend. It’s the first weekend that we’re open to the public. We’ve hit record numbers and we’re very happy,” said Randa Haidar, programme manager at the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, which organises the annual celebration of Emirati culture and heritage at the emirate’s founding fort.

Attendance is expected to reach 100,000 by the time the festival closes on February 21.

Ms Haidar attributed the large crowds to growing public awareness, as well as this year’s expanded space and programming.

The festival also offers the public the opportunity to visit the fabled fort through guided tours.

Yesterday evening, more than 100 visitors queued to enter the fort, the first permanent structure built in the emirate and its symbolic birthplace.

Qasr Al Hosn began as a watchtower in the 1760s and was later expanded to become the home of the ruling Al Nahyan family.

Layla Taher, an 18-year-old Jordanian who attended the festival with her family, said she had been in line for about an hour waiting to enter the fort. The wait was worth it, she said.

“It’s so interesting to see what is inside,” said Ms Taher, who had toured the fort during last year’s festival.

“It’s nice inside, I like it a lot. It’s amazing.”

The festival grounds, which surround the Qasr Al Hosn fort, feature four areas with the themes of life in the desert, the oasis, the sea, and life on Abu Dhabi Island.

In each of those areas, elder Emiratis showcase traditions such as boat-building, weaving fishnets and making fish traps, casting fish nets, brewing coffee, cooking and telling stories.

There are also exhibits featuring camels, including one that is two-month-old, houbara bustards, Saluki desert dogs, falcons and horses.

Traditional arts and crafts are sold in a central souk.

“We’ve dedicated more areas and more activities for each of the zones,” said Ms Haidar.

“I think year after year more people are looking forward to it. We always get the same people back, plus they bring even more.

“We expect it to become bigger and better as time goes on, in terms of visitors, the publicity.

“This year, for example, the programming strategy was different. Instead of having one big show like last year, we decided to programme every space. Wherever you are in the festival, there is something going on.”

Scheduled programming will be displayed in one of two stages, while “flash mobs” of ayala dancers and other entertainment will surprise visitors throughout the festival.

“We have lots of flash mobs, we have camel caravans, the police march, the women who are carrying water from the well who pass by,” said Ms Haidar. “The performances just happen ad hoc in the zones.”

Sherina Al Qubaisi, a 36-year-old Emirati, said she was looking forward to the festival.

She was happily filming a group of Emirati women, dressed in colourful traditional clothing and carrying clay pots on their heads. The women were parading through the crowds, talking about their work of collecting water from wells.

“I like it, I like the traditional things,” said Mrs Al Qubaisi, who attended the festival with her family. “I like it so much, I’m waiting for this every year.”

The festival, which runs from 4pm to 11pm daily, ends on February 21. Entry costs Dh10 for adults, but it is free for children younger than 12.