Muscat: Amidst great fanfare, the curtains came down on the month-long 16th annual Muscat Festival on Saturday.
More than 1,400 artistes from 83 countries showcased their skills, much to the delight of the capacity crowd each day.
Though rains acted as a dampener on a day or two, on a majority of days, everybody, particularly children, enjoyed every event.
With cool weather all over Muscat, going to the festival venues at Amerat and Naseem Parks were a treat for visitors. The Tour of Oman cycling event, the fly past and the acrobatics by the UAE air force teams at Seeb Beach amazed spectators.
The Muscat Festival not only enriched the social and cultural status of the country, it also gave a fillip to the tourist potential and boosted the economic development of the country, apart from providing wholesome entertainment to all.
According to the organisers of the festival, there was a huge turnout to witness the extravaganza since its start on January 23. Both citizens and expatriates flocked to the festival’s venues to enjoy the activities.
Last year, 1,100 participants from 72 countries took part in the events, but this year participation was on a much bigger scale, an official from the Muscat Municipality told Gulf News.
The official added that hotel occupancy reached 100 per cent in Muscat governorate after the start of the festival.
Visitors enjoyed various events, including a heritage village, international exhibitions, carnivals, water events, music among others.
For food connoisseurs, Oman Food Festival was their choicest spot and for persons with deep pockets there was lots to splurge on. Dazzling laser shows and fireworks added to the fun and frolic.
The festival attracted merchants, intellectuals and artists from different countries who vowed to spread the message of the country’s hospitality and beauty to their compatriots.
The Amerat Park hosted events such as the Heritage Village, the International Festival for Arts and crafts, laser shows and Asalah show while Naseem Park had 400 shops from different countries marketing a variety of products.
Many international bands, circus, electric toys, concerts of Omani singers were showcased at Naseem Park.
The Seeb province witnessed a number of sports activities, including traditional boat races, beach football competitions among college students, traditional games, equestrian and camel shows and traditional folklore dances.
The Muscat Festival 2014 was also aired on international media through Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN, MBC1, ZEE, OMAN TV and Majan channels, radio channels. Even local and international newspapers and social media networks splashed the Muscat festival on their sites.
The Tour of Oman, which is in its fifth edition, witnessed a great success amid a large global following to this event. It is a premier sporting event of the Muscat Festival 2014 with prizes amounting to Omani Riyals 104,330 (Dh995,281), the official said.
Altogether 144 cyclists from 18 teams covered 915.5 kilometres in the race which ended on Sunday.
