All aboard for the inaugural Dubai Boating Festival

The Dubai Boating Festival is organised by Festival Centre in association with IGY and is an opportunity for families, boat enthusiasts, tourists and inhabitants of Dubai to experience a taste of what the city's waterfront has to offer.

A celebration of Dubai's strong maritime heritage, the Festival offers an action-packed two day schedule to entertain all ages.

Experienced boaters will enjoy the festival's sailing competition and yacht and boat displays, while families and children can take in the model boat race, dragon boats and the spectacle of the fire-fighting vessel and helicopter rescue display.

Dubai's sailing heritage is at the heart of the event, with racing dhows and traditional boat-building demonstrations to watch and enjoy.

Back on dry land, children's activities, a treasure hunt and strolling performers will ensure a fun Festival weekend for all.

Tom Miles, Senior General Manager Festival Centre, Dubai Festival City, said:

"Festival Centre is a major attraction for the yachting community with its accessibility to Festival Marina. The Dubai Boating Festival will be a chance for residents and visitors to experience the vibrancy of the area whilst also getting involved in the fantastic activities and events being planned for the two days."

Phil Blake, of IGY, and Marina Manager of Festival Marina added: "In a country which boasts such a fabulous coastline and such a rich maritime history it struck us that we should be celebrating this and encouraging people who may not have visited the marina or experienced the adrenaline rush of a jet boat to come down and join in the fun.

"We hope that this will become an annual event and put Dubai on the map with the international boating community. Festival Marina is the perfect location for such an event with its proximity to the Creek and the amenities of Dubai Festival City."

During the event InterContinental Dubai Festival City, in collaboration with the Festival Centre and IGY, will be hosting a 'Whatever Floats Your Boat' bottle boat race to raise awareness of recycling, which is the first of its kind in Dubai.

Teams of four will compete against each other to build and then race a boat made entirely out of empty plastic water bottles and other recycled materials (which will be recycled after the race) and sturdy enough to support their weight.

Tom Meyer, Area General Manager, InterContinental Hotels Group Dubai Festival City commented: "The event has a powerful message, one that we hope will grow to greater heights in future years, following the enthusiasm that has already been shown by Dubai based companies who also see this as not only an opportunity to give something back to the environment, but celebrate their involvement by having an enormous amount of fun."

The Festival will also include the second annual floating wheelchair race held in Festival Centre's Canal to raise money for children with special needs. Last year's floating wheelchair race raised significant funds and awareness for the Little Wings Foundation.

Corporate teams from across Dubai's business community are encouraged to enter a team for both the Bottle Boat and floating wheelchair races by contacting.