Abu Dhabi: Under the Patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region, the fifth Al Gharbia Watersports Festival opened on Friday in Mirfa, Al Gharbia in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi.

The festival, which runs until next Saturday, was officially opened by Shaikh Mohammad Bin Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and was attended by Mohammad Hamad Bin Azzan Al Mazroui, Acting Undersecretary of the Ruler’s Representative Court in the Western Region and the Director General of Western Region Development Council (WRDC), other VIPs, government officials and the local community.

After the opening ceremony, Shaikh Mohammad toured the festival, visiting stands and spending time in the traditional souqs, witnessing the creation of traditional handicrafts. He also took the time to watch the competitive “al bawanish” race along with the many visitors who assembled on the beachfront.

The opening was well-attended with visitors arriving early to watch the performances, including jet-ski, freestyling and a horse show. The al bawanish race also took place with 25 participants competing.

The first boat to crossing the line was Zilzal owned and captained by Marwan Abdullah Mohammad Al Marzouqi. Coming home second was Syab, owned and captained by Omar Abdullah Al Marzouqi, with Al Adeed owned and captained by Rashid Mohammad Rashid Al Rumaithi finishing in third place.

Acting Undersecretary Al Mazroui stressed the importance of the festival in its ability to place Al Gharbia on both the local and international tourism maps.

The festival is an important event for the Western Region Development Council in its efforts to strategically promote the region. The fifth edition of the festival saw a range of new activities introduced, including the 60-foot (18 metres) Marwah race, the first of its kind in Al Gharbia.

Obaid Khalfan Al Mazroui, the Festival Manager, said the festival has been deliberately designed to cater for a wide audience this year.

In addition to the sense of culture generated from visiting the traditional souq, the festival also offers visitors the opportunity to try new sports such as kiteboarding, kayaking and sailing, guided by a team of professionals, he said.

Al Mazroui also praised the Al Gharbia Sports Club and the Abu Dhabi Sailing & Yacht Club for organising the event, and thanked the Western Region Municipality, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Abu Dhabi Police and Abu Dhabi Distribution Company for their support.

He also acknowledged the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, the Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority and Zonescorp for sponsoring the event and the technical support provided by The Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, Higher Colleges of Technology, Madinat Zayed and Ruwais Colleges.

“The opening was simply unbelievable and goes to show how much effort was put into this occasion by the organisers. This was a wonderful event where the whole community could be involved and we were all taken back by how beautiful the firework display was,” said a visitor to this year’s event.

The second day of the festival will feature a wide variety of events, including the kiteboarding championship, stand-up paddle boarding race, a traditional and modern sail-boat race and children’s performances such as Alice In Wonderland and the show STOMP! Live featuring on the main stage.