ABU DHABI // Hundreds are expected at this weekend’s family festival marking the launch of Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
The three-day celebration, the Big Kick Off, will promote a healthy lifestyle and feature sports and games including football, BMX biking and climbing.
The stadium is home to Al Ain FC, who will play Al Dhafra at the ground on Friday.
Al Ain residents have been talking about the stadium and seem excited, said Ahmed Hennawi, 44, a Canadian who lives in the city.
“This will probably be the flagship in terms of architecture in the city,” he said.
The festival will feature five zones with animal themes to represent different activities.
The galloping horse zone will focus on running and jumping, while the camel zone will have table tennis and basketball.
The third area, represented by a speedy hare, will offer football training, speed table tennis and a spacehopper course.
Balance and flexibility are the focus of zone four, the lizard, which will feature a trampoline, wall climbing and a BMX track.
The fifth area, the falcon, will focus on nutrition and how certain foods affect the body.
Health and sport are also prominent features of the surrounding area. The largest gym in the emirate is being built, along with cycling and jogging tracks, apartments, an international hotel, and 50 restaurants and retail outlets.
The developer, Al Qattara Investments, is aiming to make the larger stadium complex a key destination for health and sport.
Mr Hennawi said this would be positive for the city because there were too few areas where parents could take their children for a bike ride or a walk.
“It would be nice to have an area where you can just go for a nice bike ride or a leisurely walk, or go to the gym. That would be something that would be welcome,” he said.
Al Ain’s match against Al Dhafra kicks off on Friday at 5.10pm. The festival opens on Thursday and runs until Saturday. Entrance is free.
For more information visit www.hbzstadium.ae/festival/en
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