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RAK gears up to host mega cultural festival

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RAK gears up to host mega cultural festival
The three-week long Awafi Festival features popular traditional art forms to entertain the visitors. - Supplied photo

Ras Al Khaimah - The three-week festival celebrates its cultural heritage through theatre performances, cultural displays and outdoor sports.

By Staff Reporter

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Published: Tue 13 Dec 2016, 3:51 PM

Last updated: Tue 13 Dec 2016, 10:30 PM

Bless the couples!
A centre piece of the heritage village is that this year, there will be a staged traditional Emirati wedding for visitors, who will really be the 'guests' to get a feel for the cultural and heritage traditions embodied in this unique celebration. 
The emirate is busy preparing to host the 14th Awafi Festival, which will be the biggest ever. The three-week festival celebrates its cultural heritage through theatre performances, cultural displays and outdoor sports held in the red sand dunes of the Awafi area from December 16 - January 7.
The festival will have five focus areas: Heritage Village; entertainment stage; kids' play zone; traditional bazaar and the much anticipated Awafi Hill Climb Challenge, a one-day dune bashing test that has a top prize of Dh200,000.
"It sounds like something of a cliché but we have gone out of our way to ensure that there really is something for everyone, of all ages, at this year's mega event," said Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism and Development Authority (RAKTDA), which organises the festival.
The entry to the festival, which will run from 4pm to 11pm, is free. "Guests get to enjoy games, local arts and crafts, heritage activities and can relax in coffee shops and games areas. The festival gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'night life."
Visitors to the Heritage Village will get to see products that highlight the four defining characteristics of the emirate's geography and traditional communities - rural, bedouin, maritime and mountains. Besides, there will be an entertainment stage featuring celebrations, activities and contests around Emirati heritage and traditions to engage audiences.
"The UAE in general, and Ras Al Khaimah in particular, are well known for folklore, folk music, folk dance and other traditional art forms which reflect the social, ethnic and aesthetic values of the community. This is an exceptional opportunity for others to engage with them," said Mattar.
The on-site traditional bazaar will present visitors with a captivating display of arts and crafts, perfumes, food and beverage and accessories. "It will be a unique shopping experience offering a place to try the bargaining skills for which the region is well known," the CEO added.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
Dh200,000 Hill Climb ChallengeThe challenge is a one-day dune bashing test that boasts a prize purse of Dh200,000, the biggest in the series. It will be fought out on December 16 and is expected to attract high-profile competitors and tens of thousands of fans, particularly young motoring enthusiasts from the UAE and across the region.


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