I'm transfixed by traditional Arabic rhythms while lunching at Cyber Fest being held at Dubai Internet City Amphitheatre. The place is dotted with tents in red. I keep bumping into formally dressed adults carrying plates loaded with food. Even the taxi drivers waiting at the entrance are discussing food with a passion.
Moroccan taxi driver Khalid Abbas is speaking about tea from his country, painting a picture of a pot of tea infused with mint leaves.
Cyber Fest, organised as part of Dubai Shopping Festival, was officially opened by Ebrahim Saleh, COO, DSF, Majid Al Suwaidi, director of sales, Dubai Internet City, and Mohammad Ahmad, PR manager, DIC, on Sunday.
It's All There
The festival extravaganza, in line with the central theme of DSF, One World, One Family, One Festival, offers flavours of the world with a dash of entertainment. From sandwiches to cookies to burritos, it's all there. And as you are lunching, you can watch stilt walkers and living statues while keeping beat with live traditional bands.
The event, aimed at promoting retail businesses in the Free Zone, is a definite crowd puller. “The food here is nice and
reasonably priced, so people like it,'' says Suwel Naik, manager of Gazebo Restaurant. Naik and restaurant supervisor Sadiq Yousuf are spooning out plates of biryani to guests from the American University of Dubai.
Fitness Awareness
Besides restaurants, sponsors Puma, Hayya Health Club and Emirates Bank Credit card division are making their presence felt. “The best time to create awareness about fitness is when people are eating,'' Hayya's sales and marketing manager Chayya Bassi says with a laugh.
Ali Murtaza, from Pakistan, and Rahul Dhadha, from India, both from Standard Chartered Bank, came to Cyber Fest to “meet people and eat good food''.
“We leave our homes early to keep work appointments, so we tend to eat out a lot. We came out of curiosity as we love trying new things. The food is good, but more people would turn up if the event went on past 5pm,'' they say.
Today is the last day to catch Cyber Fest between 12 noon and 3pm.
