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Smurfs to enthral
at ‘Summer 
in Abu Dhabi’

ABU DHABI - The world’s first Smurfs’ Village, a mini world dedicated to the small blue fictional creatures created by Belgian cartoonist, Pierre ‘Peyo’ Culliford, will be the key attraction at this year’s ‘Summer in Abu Dhabi’, at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

Divided into 12 separate districts, Smurfs Village features specially created activity areas for children, including ‘Papa Smurf’s Story Corner’, ‘Smurfette’s Land of Beauty’, ‘Smurfs’ Fun Park’, and ‘The Promenade’ — a tricycle track through the entire 42m-by-24m enclosure in Hall 11.

The venue is one of the four multi-purpose halls housing this year’s ADNEC activities, which will run from June 30 to July 30.

In Smurfs’ Village, kids can meet and play with the Smurfs in the ‘mushroom houses’ made famous by the loveable characters’ comic book adventures.

In one of the main houses, ‘The Reel Mushroom’, back-to-back episodes of the ever-popular Smurfs’ TV show will be screened.

“Part of Smurf legend is that outsiders cannot find their village except when shown the way by a smurf; thankfully Summer in Abu Dhabi has solved this problem,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which organises the festival. “The Smurfs’ Village is only one component of what we believe is our most exciting ADNEC activity yet. There really is something for everyone, young or old.”

Currently in the midst of a renaissance in global popularity, the characters’ international appeal will be further boosted when ‘The Smurfs’ movie is released in cinema screens across the world from July 29.

Katy Perry, the American pop star, will voice Smurfette, while Hank Aazaria, one of the main contributors to the long-running US TV hit ‘The Simpsons’, will bring sorcerer Garamel, the Smurfs’ sworn enemy, to life.

Elsewhere at ADNEC, the all-new ‘Adventure World’ will find a champion who completes the 11 ‘telematch’-style activities in the fastest time; ‘Career World’ lets kids dress up and try their hands at any one of the 12 dream careers, and ‘Show World’, a specially-constructed 120-capacity theatre, will feature twice-daily shows by international favourites such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora The Explorer, Marvel’s Thor, Wolverine, Captain America and Dr Doom.

ADNEC entry rates are Dh40 for adults and Dh20 for children up to 12 years, while toddlers up to two years old go free.

haseeb@khaleejtimes.com