Over 50,000 visitors turn out for opening weekend of Yasalam 2012

Kicking off this year's festivities on Thursday, 25 October was Abu Dhabi's latest world record breaking attempt. In perfect conditions, more than 1000 people gathered at Al Sahil beach in an attempt to build the largest number of sandcastles in an hour. With a target of 684 sandcastles, groups of friends and families armed with buckets and spades set to work building over 700 sandcastles. With strict guidelines in place however, the official Guinness World Record adjudicator ruled that only 537 sandcastles met the criteria. Nevertheless, the event was a testament to the determination of the community, embodying the spirit of Yasalam with many volunteers leaving smiling and happy.

The F1 FanZone at the heart of the Corniche also opened its doors on Thursday. Scores of visitors enjoyed a range of motorsport themed activity, including race driving simulators, sand sculptures and the Yasalam Responsibly 'infotainment' centre raising awareness on safe driving.

TROPFEST Arabia provided the second night's entertainment, showcasing the very best short films from across the region to crowds on Al Sahil beach under a starry night's sky. An evening of film followed on Saturday as part of the Screen by the Sea weekend, with free family films showing on giant plasma screens.

Saturday's interactive sessions in gaming, digital and design provided the perfect opportunity for the UAE's budding design talent to hone their skills before the night's main event, Cut&Paste. Returning to Al Sahil beach for the second time as part of Yasalam, teams of two were vigorously put through their paces clicking, dragging and dropping their way through a series of design briefs against the clock.

This year's winning team was Brandon Fernandes and Ishfaq Zaman who walked away with two Wacom Cintiq 12WX Pen-Based Displays as prizes.

Visiting the Yasalam opening weekend and taking part in the Guinness World Record attempt was Paul from Abu Dhabi: "We came to the Corniche today for a fun, family day out. My little ones really enjoyed building their sandcastles and there was a fantastic atmosphere on the beach. We might not have broken the record but it was great fun regardless!"

Ahmed Abdulfattah from Egypt took part in the interactive sessions at the Creative Pavilion, "I really enjoyed the smart phone movie production workshop. It was really informative and I feel really inspired now to go out and film. I want to become a filmmaker after college so this event has really motivated me to get out there and pursue my dreams."

Yasalam 2012 Live on the Corniche will culminate with the popular Beats on the Beach free concert series. Storming the stage on Thursday, 1 November are headliners Melanie C, Missy Elliott and Tamer Hosny. Friday, 2 November will see Hani El Omary and Maya Diab wow the crowd before R'n'B sensation CeeLo Green wraps up the weekend. A number of music and dance workshops will take place through the weekend of 1-3 November.

This year a number of Emirati up-and-coming musical talents have been confirmed as part of the exciting line-up on the Corniche. Catering to a wide variety of musical tastes, Mansour Zayed, Murex Role's 'Best Promising Singer in the Gulf' winner and R&B brothers 'Desert Heat' will be performing on Thursday 1 November. Hip hop artist Hussain Hashim aka "Sain" will be opening the Corniche stage with a special R&B song recorded exclusively for Yasalam.

The F1 FanZone is open daily with a range of motorsport flavoured activities. Open Thursday and Friday from 4pm till midnight, and Saturday - Wednesday 5pm - 11pm.

The Yasalam festival runs from 25 October to 4 November with music concerts, film events, creative workshops and the F1 FanZone at the Corniche, across the city, and on Yas Island. Live performances take place at du Arena on race weekend, exclusively for F1 race ticket holders only.

The 2012 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be held at Yas Marina Circuit on November 2nd, 3rd and 4th.