Floral theme set to create colourful look

The Flower Surprises week scheduled to start on Thursday will paint the town with colourful floral themes as the DSS 2002 enters its fifth week.

The week will also bring a colourful floral theme to the city, especially in the shopping malls.

Dubai Municipality, the week's organiser, has lined up at least 108 activities in shopping malls including a flower market, floral contests, stage shows, flower paintings, bouquet arrangements, balloon surprises, cinematic tricks and light effects.

The week opens with a 30-minute show at Wafi Centre on Thursday based on the theme 'Flower of Continents', along with 14 other events starting at 5 pm.

"The audience will be led to a world of surprises during the ceremony, which will conclude with tonnes of flowers being showered on the audience from the mall's balconies," said Ahmed Abdul Karim, the Public Parks and Horticulture Department director, Dubai Municipality.

Around Dh10,000 were earmarked for prizes and gifts to children during the opening ceremonies and another Dh30,000 worth of gifts and prices to daily visitors of malls and the Children's City.

The Flowers Surprises week's first family to fly in to Dubai will also be welcomed at the airport on Wednesday. Some 80,000 flowers have already been arranged to welcome passengers at the airport throughout the week.

So far, three tonnes of flowers were imported into Dubai and given to people in select locations such as the Dubai International Airport, Port Rashid, government and private hospitals, shopping malls, homes of the aged and disabled, government departments and couple who are getting married during the week.

Other activities during the week include an exhibition on recycling, flower-shaped sand carving, fruit and ice carving in the shape of flowers.

A theatrical display, 'Bustan Al Khair' (Garden of Virtue), will be presented by local actors at the Children's City throughout the week except Sundays.

Environmental scientist, Ghulam Ali Sajanlal, will stage an exhibit in Wafi City focussing on waste recycling. Artist John Howl will also display models made out of used phone cards at Deira City Centre.

The Children's City has prepared activities related to the Flower Surprises week along with summer activities, said Ismail Al Banna, Assistant Director of the Department and head of the Parks and Recreation Section.

Flower arrangement workshops, face painting with flowers, floral handicraft, colouring flower vases and birthday celebrations with flowers will be held as well.

"We are keen to have the maximum public participation in the contests. A number of prizes would be given to individuals, traders and establishments," said Mohammed Al Fardan, Head of the Promotions and Recreational Programmes Office, the Public Parks and Horticulture Department.

There will be contests for the best bouquet made of natural flowers, best bouquet made of artificial flowers, best bouquet made of dried flowers and best bridal decoration with flowers.

Awards will be given to the best of the 25 stalls participating in the flower market in BurJuman Centre, the biggest participation of Flower Surprises activities, best flower-decorated entrance of a shopping centre, best photograph on flower and the best floral costume.

Also, the best hair decoration with flowers, best flower painting for children, best environmental idea, best art work made of recycled materials, best and biggest flower-shaped cake and best leaflet on Flower Surprises contest.

Live exhibitions or bouquet arrangement and flower decoration will also be held, along with a contest on the best perfume fragrance contest for Western and Eastern perfumes extracted from flowers and flower plants.