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Al Madam festival to honour 'Zayeds'

Sharjah - The festival is first of its kind in the central region

Any Emirati or expatriate named Zayed after the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan will be honoured during the third edition of Al Madam Shopping Festival. The move is to mark 2018 as the Year of Zayed.
The festival organised by the Sharjah Municipal Council of Al Madam will run from January 4 to 12, 2018. It will feature folklore shows from Arab and Western countries to build cultural bridges with the world and spread the Emirati culture and heritage. More than 80 exhibitors and 15 commercial shops are participating in the festival.
Addressing a Press conference on Wednesday in Sharjah city, Salim bin Huwaidin, Chairman of the council, said to mark 2018 - which has been announced by as the Year of Zayed, any citizen or expatriate of any age named after the founder of the UAE will be honoured during the eight-day festival. The committee is making a list and receiving information from people who present their birth certificate to prove their name. They will be honoured during the days of the festival.
He added the festival is first of its kind in the central region which is receiving great attention from His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.
"We are working on one system to accomplish our projects, whether tourism or business or social in the region," he added
Bin Huwaidin said: "We are keen to cooperate and build partnership with private institutions, as part our strategic priorities to support the activities of heritage and culture, in order to achieve the vision of the emirate's wise leadership to contribute to the revitalisation of tourism and economic movement in the region.
Hussam Al Zabi, chairman of the organising committee of the festival, said that following the success achieved during the past seasons, the committee placed the festival within its annual calendar of community events.
The festival has been able to attract thousands of visitors in its previous sessions and achieve a number of its objectives. "It's a great opportunity for families for shopping from the pavilions and enjoy culinary delicacies of the region while children can enjoy the play area. A large theatre for events and activities is also part of the festival area."
Afra bou Nawas Al Ketbi, member of the organising committee, said the festival will be open to visitors from 4pm to 10pm.
She added that visitors will enjoy activities including the performance of military band Alzayud and dance shows by Syrian, Lebanese, Spanish, Turkish, Egyptian, Jordanian and Palestinian traditional bands. There are also a number of special programmes for children and a corner for the elderly.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com