Abu Dhabi: Schools in Abu Dhabi will close early by midday today (Thursday) due to the opening of the Qasr Al Hosn Festival.
The festival will open its doors at 2pm, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) announced on Wednesday.
In light of the second edition of the festival, a number of roads around the festival venue will be closed from 2pm to 7pm on the opening day. Running until March 1, the 10-day event will cater to Abu Dhabi residents of all ages, teaching them about the importance of the capital’s oldest building.
Endangered houbara birds, camels, horses and goats will all feature at this year’s event alongside Emirati cultural dances, poetry recitals and an international show by Cirque du Soleil’s Cavalia creator.
Traditional wedding halls and schools will also be set up to show visitors the Bedouin way of life while organised tours around the fort will highlight the ongoing reconstruction work.
Surrounding the fort are a number of iconic buildings such as the Cultural Foundation and government buildings dating back to 1968 which gave the heart of Abu Dhabi a pulse where education and heritage thrived.
On the opening day (Thursday), Hamdan Street, Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, Zayed the First and Khalid Bin Al Waleed streets will be partially closed from 2pm to 8pm.
Emirati merchandise including traditional clothes, henna and incense will be sold at the festival souq and over 200 Emirati students will be volunteers to answer questions.
On the remaining days, the will be open from 4pm to 8pm daily, with Friday being exclusively for ladies.
