ABU DHABI // The Summer in Abu Dhabi Festival came to an end yesterday, with the organiser saying it hopes to stage the popular event again next year. "We would love to hold it next year as we think it's been hugely successful," said Paul Vincent, the marketing director for the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), which hosted the function. "Now we're going to go into the process of making it happen again."
An estimated 150,000 visitors flocked to the festival during its eight-week run. "I'm disappointed I didn't come earlier," said Jemma Greentree, who watched as her daughter, Adana, aged two, tried on traditional Emirati jewellery and veils yesterday. "We loved the circus and it was nice to interact with the local culture." Mr Vincent estimated that one-fifth of the festival's visitors were repeat patrons.
"That is very good for the first year of an event." Visitors to the festival, which was aimed at children between ages six and 16, were predominantly from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai. Ben Cullins, Adnec's PR manager, said about five per cent of the guests were from overseas. Organisers would like to see the festival expand to other parts of the city next year. Children who attended Summer in Abu Dhabi were treated to a lively mix of entertainment and educational displays held on seven islands: Action, Adventure, Creativity, Discovery, Fun, Imagination, and Culture and Heritage. They learnt simple physics at the Robot Zoo, watched circus acrobats perform and mimicked construction workers at Build A City.
Other activities included a spy exhibition, organised by Abu Dhabi Police, face painting, arts and crafts, cartoons and live theatre. Adnec polled about 600 people during the festival, Mr Cullins said. "We asked them to rate the experience out of 10 and the average score was 9.5." Crowd favourites included the fun fair, circus, Build A City and the culture and heritage sites. "There are more events starting to happen in the capital and people are getting excited about it," said Mr Cullins.
Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon, the chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Adnec, said Summer in Abu Dhabi was one of the most successful festivals held in the capital. "Visitor feedback has been exceptional, visitor attendance has been outstanding and the eight weeks of the event have run very smoothly," he said in a statement. Renee Totty, who yesterday was visiting the festival for the second time with her children, said it was a good place to go even though the attractions were aimed at older kids.
"In the summer especially, we're always looking for something to do." Inka Steever agreed. "This is my first time and I like it. It's nice. It's not too loud or crowded. They're [son and daughter] not tied up on a leash. They can run around." The festival closed halfway through August to accommodate preparations for Ramadan and Eid, Mr Vincent said. @Email:jgerson@thenational.ae