Sharjah: The 36th edition of Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2017) is set to include 1,600 live shows, along with a packed calendar of activities and interactive experiences for children and young adults. The fair will be held from November 1 to 11 at the Expo Centre Sharjah.
This year, the fair will include a full programme of live performances, entertainment acts, acrobatic shows, cultural events, and a series of workshops in art, literature and writing.
Open daily from 10am to 10pm, the book fair will host live performances by carefully selected performers from UK, Kuwait, Poland, Jordan, Australia, Moldova, Russia, India, Bahrain, Iceland, Mongolia, Syria, Italy and Ukraine.
It will also host 1,650 publishing houses from 60 countries, and display more than 1.5 million titles throughout the 11-day fair.
The Kids Programme will be delivered by more than 44 artistes and performers hailing from 22 countries around the globe. It has been designed to cater to a variety of age groups, and covers the genres of knowledge, science, creative arts and education.
A must-watch is a play titled ‘Windy’ from Kuwait, which highlights the pressing need for human coexistence and respect for diversity. The message is depicted to children in a simple yet effective metaphor where characters from different games struggle to accept each other.
One of the headline attractions for children at the fair, will be ‘Aladdin’ by the UK’s Paul Holman Associates, which will take children on a magical adventure with Aladdin and the genie through their journey of winning over Princess Jasmine.
Young audiences will be treated to stunning shows by The Crazy Dunkers from France who will be slam dunking combining basketball skills, acrobatics and comics on an unbridled rhythm of upbeat tunes.
Meanwhile, ‘The Enchanted Seasons’ musical will be performed by The Bright Kids Theatre from Russia, who will bring to life the world of insects, flowers, animals and clowns through the four seasons with beautiful costumes and special effects.
A ‘3D Printing Pen’ workshop will be hosted by London-based artist, Grace du Prez, where beginners will be introduced to the worlds of 3D printing and digital art works.
SIBF, the world’s third largest book fair, will span 14,625 square metres this year, featuring 393 guests from 48 countries who will participate in more than 2,600 events.
