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More excitement as Eid festivities coincide with DSF

DUBAI - With the Dubai Shopping Festival coinciding with the Eid holidays, Eid Al Adha was celebrated yesterday with more excitement and traditional fervour.

The festival of sacrifice was marked with morning prayers, visits to relatives and friends' homes, entertainment activities in parks and shopping malls, including the main Eid celebrations at Al Seef Street which comprised a number of competitions, a colourful abra parade down the creek, a water show, a carnival parade and performances of various traditional bands from the AGCC countries.

The pleasant weather yesterday made it ideal for the people to engage in various outdoor activities at key DSF attractions. A forecaster from the Dubai Met Office said: "We have a settled and relatively comfortable weather today. Pleasant weather conditions are likely to prevail during the next four days."

He said the temperature was 'slightly above normal' with the minimum and the maximum temperatures recorded at 16 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius respectively yesterday. The normal minimum and maximum temperatures are 15 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius respectively.

Visitors were spoilt for choice as various parks had lined up a host of activities. Those who visited Al Safa Park, Al Mamzar Park and the Creek Park were enthralled with musical shows of 'Cinderella', 'Peter Pan' and 'Beauty and the Beast' at these parks. They are being shown regularly in the evening. The Children's City at the Creek Park also hosted Cartoon Town, a one-and-a-half-hour programme, organised by Mini Studio in cooperation with the Dubai Municipality.

The Dubai Zoo received 4,900 visitors yesterday, according to Dr Reza Khan, Head of the Zoo Section at the municipality's Horticulture and Public Parks Departments.

"The two lion cubs which are four months old have been attracting a large number of visitors to the zoo. We expect around 6,000 to 7,000 people to visit the zoo tomorrow (today), the second day of Eid Al Adha."

Other events include the Bedouin Festival at the Heritage Village, the Spirit of the Horse at the Wafi City, the Fun Fair at the Global Village, leisurely shopping at the Night Souq along Al Seef Street, the African Circus at Al Riqqa Street, Sports Zone and Hobbies Land at Al Muraqqabat Street, the Giant Game Zone at Al Diyafah Street and the Carpet Oasis at the Airport Expo Dubai, and many others.

Rizah Ismail, a manager at one of the Sri Lankan exchange houses in Dubai, said the family normally gets together with three to four close family friends in a park during Eid.

"Last year, we went to Oman to spend the Eid holidays. The DSF has lots of activities, so we had decided to celebrate Eid here. Eid is for children and we are planning to take our two sons, aged 13 and eight to the park to watch Peter Pan. As usual, we bought them gifts for Eid," Mr Ismail said.

Jordanian national Walid Khairallah and his family and friends have come all the way from Amman, Jordan, to celebrate Eid Al Adha in Dubai. "Last time I had been to Dubai was in 1976, and I am amazed at the development which had taken place in the city. I am looking forward to exploring various entertainment activities today and tomorrow, and I am sure that Lana, my four-year-old daughter, and my friends' children will really enjoy their visit here," said the executive manager of the Jordanian Securities Exchange Commission.

Marwa Kamil Abdulla, a 10-year-old Sudanese girl who studies at Hessa School in Jaffliyah area, received 'eidiyah' (gift) from her father yesterday. "I am so happy because I can be with my friends today. My friends Sahar, Razan and Sarah will be spending the whole day at the shopping centre. My family and I will be visiting my aunt in Abu Dhabi tomorrow. Maybe there would be more gifts waiting for me, " she enthused.

• UAE