Dubai Festival City announces the start of Festival of Art

For the duration of four weeks, Dubai Festival City will host various art demonstrations, every week highlighting a special artistic theme and showcasing different activities. All the artistic activities will take place at Dubai Festival City's retail district - Festival Waterfront Centre and Festival Power Centre.

Tom Miles, Senior General Manager-Retail for Dubai Festival City, stated: "Festival of Art, organised by Dubai Festival City, is an exclusive demonstration of talent which gathers artists from all over the World, never before seen in Dubai. We are always working to ensure Dubai Festival City is the ideal destination for family entertainment, shopping and dining".

He added: "As Dubai is such a multi-cultural city, we have put a lot of effort into getting a colourful and exquisite selection of artists from all the continents. We trust the palette of activities will satisfy the different social groups and involve all family members."

The different activities showcased during Festival of Art will cover four weeks; each week will be under a different theme, featuring art demonstrations and performances as well as musical and singing acts.

Week 1: Art (April 15 - 21)

During the first week, Festival of Art will feature a variety of exhibitions including a painting and photography exposition in collaboration with the American University of Dubai and Deira International School, involving the work of over fifty students. A collection of oil paintings portraying racing dhows, made by British artist Alistair Houston, will also be displayed during the first week of Festival of Art.

Visitors will be able to see the Dubai Festival City complex made out of sand - a captivating sand sculpting demonstration will capture the attention of the entire family. For those who wish to learn sculpture and to follow the steps of making a magnificent piece of art, they will be able to watch the international sculptor Allan Meyburgh daily from 2pm to 10pm.

As for kids, they can learn how to make pottery in a specialised workshop led by a number of pottery artists and specialists. They can also participate in a painting and drawing competition, organised by Dubai Festival City, which will allow kids from different age groups to demonstrate their talent. The winners of this competition are awaited fantastic prizes sponsored by Dubai Festival City.

A classic car display in collaboration with the Dubai Club of Classic Cars and Bikes, will be showcasing a number of rare antique cars, with leaflets detailing the date and history related to each vehicle and to its current owner.

Week 2: Theatre & Fashion (April 22 - 29)

During the second week, Festival of Art will feature a number of plays and entertainment acts which highlight theatre and fashion. To name a few: Silk Acrobats, a talented Colombian troupe of three, will offer audience a breathtaking acrobatic show. Hun Lakorn Kek, brought straight from Thailand, will be an exciting attraction; the troupe will perform a traditional puppet theatre show.

For fashion aficionados, Festival of Art has organised platform modeling shows which highlight the newest collections of selected retailers present at Festival Waterfront Centre. Some of the fashion brands participating in the platform modeling are: Marks & Spencer, Patrizia Pepe, Gas, Levi's, Dockers, Chevignon and Hang Ten.

Week 3: Dance (April 30 - May 7)

The theme of the third week of Festival of Art is Dance. Folkloric dance shows will be performed by troupes from different regions of the World, including the Kabilat Ghana, which translates as "Ghana Tribe", presenting a number of traditional dances on the vibrant rhythm of African drums; and Aboriginal Troupe will execute cultural shows reviving the great Australian heritage.

One of the highlights of the week is the Balinese Traditional, enchanting the spectators with folkloric dances from Indonesia.

Both children and adults will enjoy watching Native Americans and learning the sign language used by these tribes through stories chosen from their folkloric heritage. This troupe from North America will perform dances on the sounds of Nay Flutes.

Week 4: Music (April 22 - 29)

During the final week of Festival of Art, renowned international musicians, performing for the first time in the UAE, will offer audience musical shows. Popular Cuban band, Vocal Sampling, has been previously nominated for three Grammy Awards. The unique talent of this troupe is that its members do not play any musical instrument, but use their voices instead, magnificently imitating the sounds of instruments.

Also participating in Festival of Art is the Drums of the World, international group composed of 18 musicians from Europe, Africa and Asia, using different types of drums to play beautiful melodies with unequalled harmony and power.

For ambient music lovers, the Electric Strings demonstration is definite to be an appeal. Electric Strings is a quartet from South Africa famous for distinctive music fusion, mixing electric strings with vocal performance and DJ.

These are only few of the attractions of Festival of Art; many more pleasant surprises await visitors every day.

Hosted by Dubai Festival City, Festival of Art is aiming to become an annual gathering of some of the most talented artists from around the world, encouraging open participation in selected events, giving everyone the chance to learn new things about art, culture & folklore, or just enjoy and have fun with family and friends.