Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (Adibf) has proved to be a hit as thousands of book lovers came to the event to browse a wide selection of material. They also took part in the fair's other activities, such as author discussions.
"This isn't the first time that my family and I have visited the fair. My son studies at a French school and this is a great place to find books for him. I also participated in one of the [book] discussions, which was very interesting. Another thing I liked about the fair was that they were playing classical music. It's an amazing idea to combine music with the books," Rula Ghazawi, a Lebanese expatriate, said.
For the little ones, the Creativity Corner provided them with a place where they could tap into their imaginations and have fun while their parents explored the four halls that housed over 800 exhibitors.
"We love to read and the fair is a great place to stock up on books for our children and ourselves. I'm here with our four-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter ... we visited the fair yesterday and came back today because the children had a lot of fun at the Creativity Corner and wanted to come back," Carol Hamilton, an expatriate from the US, said. "Yesterday, they created their own books and they love showing them off to everyone," she added.
For first time visitors, the various programmes at Adibf provided an interesting addition to the book stands.
"I was surprised to see just how big the fair is and all the different programmes. I bought some books that I couldn't find in Abu Dhabi bookstores, which is great because I was going to ask some friends to bring them when they come to visit me next week," James Martin, a Canadian expatriate said.
Details: Where to go
The Abu Dhabi Book Fair is being held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec).
