Al No'man wants to make 10th annual Water Festival 'memorable'

Sharjah: A top official from the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) wants the tenth edition of the annual extravaganza to be a memorable affair this year.

"It's the third year for the etisalat Water Festival and the tenth for the UIM F1 World Power Boat Championship and we want this to be a memorable event for all," stated Mohammad Ali Al No'man, Director-General, SCTDA, at the official press conference held Wednesday.

"Led by our Chairman Shaikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, we have always strived to make this event the cornerstone of our activities so that we can promote Sharjah as a prime venue internationally and locally," Al No'man added.

The final round of the 2009 UIM F1 World Powerboat Championship will be held at the picturesque Khalid Lagoon as the culmination of the etisalat Sharjah Water Festival scheduled from December 2-12 at the Khalid Lagoon and Al Majaz Park area.

Powerboats

The festival offers residents and visitors various tourism related activities such as water shows and performances from artists from all over the world. The festival ends with the annual hosting of the UIM F1 World Powerboat Championship which is being hosted by the emirate for the tenth time in-a-row.

"We spend in excess of Dh10 million for this annual event and I feel this is money well spent. The attention of the entire world is on Sharjah and what we do through the course of the event," Al No'man said.

The official hoped that the highlight of the F1 powerboat race will be further heightened as there will be two races on the weekend instead of one according to the new UIM racing format.

"There are several other exciting things to follow and we don't want to reveal all these at this moment," he added.

Impressive awards

This year's event has Dana Gas, ENSHAA and Smart Spectrum as main sponsors, Al Qasba, Sharjah Museums Department, Sharjah Police, Sharjah Municipality, Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, Department of Sea Ports and Customs, Sahara Centre, Al Zahra Hospital, Sharjah Millennium Hotel, Golden Tulip Hotel, Zulal, Air Arabia as partners and Sharjah TV, Zee TV, Al Khaleej, Channel 4 FM and Gulf News as media partners.

The Sharjah Grand Prix — the final round of the UIM F1 World Power Boat Championship — has won impressive awards since it was first staged in 2000. The emirate won the ‘best organiser' prize in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007 along with the ‘World Journalism Award' for best organisation in 2002.

Entertainment

The famed Cameristi Triestini Orchestra in concert and the Sesame Street performance will be among the highlights at this year's etisalat Sharjah Water Festival that will be held from December 2-12.

Directed by Maestro Fabio Nossal, the orchestra of 20 professionals will be the official opening for the Sharjah Water Festival 2009 that is meant to coincide with the UAE National Day celebrations.

The Sesame Street performance consisting of famous characters such as Elmo, Grover, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie and Zoey will perform live at the Al Majaz Park three times daily starting from December 2.

Other activities for the entire family included at the festival this year are a dedicated food court, the Dive Show involving seven professional stunt performing high divers, a food court, the night souq and a childrens' dream world called Mouj Land.