The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi’s Arabic Language Centre has announced that the 13th Al Ain Book Festival (AABF), formerly known as a “Book Fair,” will be held from November 14 to 20.
The event will take place for the first time ever across five locations in Al Ain, including the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, the Zayed Central Library, Qasr Al Muwaiji (Muwaiji Fort), Bait Mohammed Bin Khalifa, and the UAE University, and will be sponsored by H.H. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi Ruler’s Representative in the Al Ain Region.
The event will return to Al Ain under the theme “All Eyes on Al Ain,” to the city recognized as the birthplace of the UAE’s founding father, the capital’s “garden city,” and the location of the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The festival will honor the work of Emirati and Arab writers, artists, and intellectuals, both past and present, with a reinvigorated purpose to not only highlight Al Ain’s legacy and Emirati culture but also to foster a culture of reading.
The festival will bring Emirati stories to life and celebrate the Arabic language in all of its forms via a revamped events schedule that spans literature, theater, music, film, and sport. Additionally recognized in the UAE will be tales and voices from other countries.
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), which is organizing the multi-site event with the assistance of its sponsors, including media partner Abu Dhabi Media Company, logistics sponsor Tawzea Distribution & Logistics Services, and strategic partners the Al Ain Club and Al Ain University, is part of the Center’s larger mission to preserve Arab heritage, promote the development of the Arabic language, and equally deliver ambitious events that stoke interest in the language.
Visitors to the multi-site Festival may anticipate a wide variety of events and activities catered to all interests and age ranges. Seminars, workshops, live music, performances, sporting events, and historical celebrations will all offer a special forum for discussion.
The Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium will act as the festival’s focal point, holding a dynamic art program, children and youth program with a variety of facets, and the vital Publisher Wings, a showcase of publishing in the Arab world today.
The stadium will play host to 70 events, including dance and comedy shows as well as folk and heritage shows that showcase the beauty of popular music from throughout the world. The Syrian handpan player Anas Alhalabi, who resides in Dubai, as well as Emirati, Egyptian, and Omani folklore, will all be performed for spectators at the stadium.
Over the course of the seven-day Festival, kids, families, and youth will have the opportunity to participate in more than 200 creative and innovative activities, from storytelling to science and engineering projects to arts and crafts workshops. Programs aimed at the younger population will be available, particularly at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium and Zayed Central Library.
The festival will also serve as the venue for a celebration to announce the beginning of a long-term alliance between the ALC and the UAE University. The multifaceted partnership will encourage knowledge and skill exchange through educational programs and cultural activities.
