Over 140,000 visit Qasr Al Hosn festival

The Qasr Al Hosn Festival provided the opportunity to share with the community the conservation works and preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of the fort and its surroundings. -Supplied photo

After doing the counting, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA) revealed on Sunday that 140,000 people visited the Qasr Al Hosn Festival this year, 10,000 more than last year, a number the authority is happy about.
"The number of people who visited the fourth edition of the festival reflects the importance held by the iconic Qasr Al Hosn within the heart of the nation and its people," said Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of TCA.
Although the festival closed over a week ago - it took place between February 3 and 13 - one of its elements, the Qasr Al Hosn Exhibition, which attracted an average of 1,000 visitors a day, will remain open throughout the year, daily between 9am and 8pm where talks and educational workshops will be held.
Selfie video recording taken during the 2015 festival and screened for the first time at the 2016 festival, stating their favourite memories of the Cultural Foundation was one of the attractions.
As in previous years, Qasr Al Hosn is a celebration - and preservation - of Emirati culture, heritage and history.
"The festival has been a celebration of our rich history and culture and an opportunity to share with the community the ongoing conservation works and the comprehensive process of preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of the fort and its surroundings," said Al Mubarak.
"Conserving our traditions and sharing them with the community remains one of our main priorities. This year, over 300 Emirati students from nine universities participated in the Qasr Al Hosn Festival as ambassadors, and they engaged with almost 3,000 school students from across the emirate," he added. Life in Abu Dhabi island in the 1960s, and life in the desert oasis and on the coast were all depicted at the different zones of the festival by the 300 Emirati ambassadors who were keen to explain to visitors the meaning of the many traditions presented there.
Festival visitors were also able to take an immersive fort tour experience that traced the evolution of the Fort for more than 200 years, with more than 10,300 people joining the 10 minutes light and sound show.
Almost 15,000 visitors also enjoyed the live performances hosted on the Festival Stage.
With five entrances to the festival and a five per cent increase in site area to almost 47,000 square metres, the festival's busiest day welcomed almost 20,000 visitors - the highest ever single-day attendance recorded.
silvia@khaleejtimes.com