Muscat festival preparations in full swing

MUSCAT: The 18th Muscat Festival will kick off on January 18 under the theme “Let’s Celebrate Together” amidst extensive preparations at the festival’s various sites. The festival will continue until February 10. The festival is a family destination and a forum for thought, culture and arts. It has a variety of activities, events and competitions. It is a meeting point and cultural acquaintance among different countries. It is also one of the tourist events of the Sultanate. Muscat Municipality has completed all its facilities for this annual forum, along with many new and various entertaining, cultural, sport, touristic and economic activities, in addition to sciences, arts, competitions and family enrichment to meet all aspirations. The festival sites this year that include Al Amerat Public Park and Al Naseem Public Park, in addition to Oman Automobile Club, a number of cultural halls and clubs, Tour of Oman and the Oman Cruise, which runs through specific routes in a number of governorates, in addition to the various musical, theatrical and art activities that will be organised on the stage of Al Madinah Theatre and Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre. The beginning of the festival coincides with the school spring holiday (mid-year holiday). It is an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful winter atmosphere with the various festival activities. The 24-day festival is followed by six-day Tour of Oman that will start on February 13. Muscat will be witnessing a vibrant atmosphere of excitement as it hosts Muscat Festival. Doors to Muscat Festival sites at Al Naseem Public Park and Al Amerat Public Park will open from 4 pm to 11 pm and continue until midnight on weekends. Khalid bin Mohammed Bahram, Assistant Chairman of Muscat Municipality for Services and Assistant Head of Muscat Festival’s Organising Committee, said: “The Organising Committee of the festival has made great efforts to prepare for this edition of the festival through the development of perceptions and study of proposals and the careful selection of activities and programmes with the participation of several parties.” He added that Al Naseem Public Park will host a range of educational, creative and recreational activities and programmes for children to develop their cognitive abilities, innovations and refinement of hobbies, notably the Family Village, and the Children’s Theatre, which includes a variety of activities for children in a new style, in addition to Entertainment and Arts Park, an integrated park that brings together a large number of electronic and electrical games, as well as the commercial exhibition, a small heritage village with various traditional arts, field performances, theatre, varied interactive activities with the public, as well as fireworks displays that will be on a daily basis, as well as participation by government and private institutions. About activities at Al Amerat Public Park, Khalid said: “Al Amerat Public Park offers a variety of activities, including the Omani Heritage Village, in addition to traditional market that aims at promoting Omani heritage, as well as theatre performances of the folklore teams, a special amusement park, theatre shows and various other events, besides the participation of a number of government agencies with multiple corners.” — ONA