UAE: Huge turnout extends Al Dhafra Book Festival till December 11 in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: The Al Dhafra Book Festival 2022 is continuing for two additional days following a huge turnout generated by its new format at the Public Park in Zayed City.

The festival, which is organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi’s Arabic Language Centre (ALC), is one of the biggest book fairs in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi emirate. Following the extension, the festival will wrap up on Sunday, December 11.

The decision to extend the festival is in line with the ALC’s efforts to provide an opportunity for the largest number of visitors to benefit from the festival over the weekend, explore new titles offered by participating publishers, and to enjoy the event’s activities, the ALC said in a statement. The ALC itself is committed to promote reading as a practice in the community, and spread culture and awareness.

100 activities

The festival’s programme this year includes more than 100 activities, including a series of cultural evenings titled ‘Voices Loved by the People’ that celebrate renowned and popular poets and artists from Al Dhafra.

The festival allocates two areas for children and youth activities, one dedicated to children’s workshops, performances, and story readings, and another for workshops for older children. It also includes an art corner, which features exhibitions by creative artists, as well as art workshops. The event also offers visitors a chance to meet a group of fictional characters inspired by Emirati and Arab folktales that have been brought to life with 3D models distributed across the festival.