ABU DHABI, 29th Sept. 2009 (WAM) -- A series of concerts, a giant cinema screen and a Brazilian-style street festival will transform the Corniche in the weeks leading up to the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Yasalam "Amazing" programme of events starting on October 16 on the Corniche and Yas Island will aim to whip up excitement for the race. The weekend will culminate in a concert by the American band Aerosmith after the race on November 1.

According to The National Newspaper the event on the Corniche will be free, while shows on Yas Island will be available almost exclusively to Grand Prix ticket-holders.

Among the artists performing on the Corniche will be the American hip-hop star Timbaland, the British group Soul II Soul and the Lebanese pop singer Myriam Fares. A number of other UAE-based artists will also perform.

Car and motorsport-related films including The Italian Job, Cars and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, as well as the Brazilian Grand Prix on October 16, will be screened on the Corniche beach.

The screening of the Grand Prix race from Sao Paulo will coincide with a Rio-style carnival on the Corniche featuring a band, parade and street entertainers.

Behind the scenes, Formula One drivers, engineers and managers will talk to students in a bid to encourage interest in a home-grown motorsport industry.

John Lickrish, the managing director of Flash Entertainment, the events company that is managing the entertainment related to the Grand Prix weekend, said: "It is a programme of extreme diversity, which will bring the entire community together ... whether or not you are a motorsport fan or a resident of the UAE. We will bring together music, art, films and motorsport-themed entertainment in the heart of our city."Flash has set out to supply enough activity during the F1 weekend to entertain even those who do not intend to watch the motor race.

"Mothers and families might come, too, so we dont want those people to be sitting in a hotel twiddling their thumbs," Lickrish said.

Organisers plan to accommodate 30,000 people for the film screenings, starting on October 22, and for the screening of the Brazilian Grand Prix on the preceding weekend. The race in Sao Paulo will be shown from 9pm on October 16.

Amenities for the throngs expected on the Corniche will include F1 driving simulators and stands selling race merchandise. Parking for up to 1,000 vehicles will be available close to the Emirates Palace hotel.

Daily concerts as part of the Beats on the Beach music festival will start on October 27, running until October 31, with three of the concerts coinciding with other gigs taking place on the site of the future Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island.

The US singer Beyonce was last week confirmed as the opening act at Ferrari World, on October 29.

Two other acts are to be tied up in the coming days, and Lickrish confirmed that only people with tickets for the Grand Prix would be allowed to attend the Yas Island concerts. A limited number of tickets will be made available to the public through competitions.

As part of the build-up to the race weekend, Emirati artists will switch from working on canvas to F1 car bodies, and the results of their work will be displayed at venues including Abu Dhabi International Airport, Marina Mall and Zayed University.

Race organisers are hoping, though, that one aspect of the Grand Prix build-up will last far beyond the race weekend. They will help to lay a foundation for the growth of motorsports in the Emirates by having prominent figures from the world of F1 talk with school and university students. Over two days next week, students will gather at Zayed University to hear from guest speakers including the former McLaren F1 driver David Coulthard; Mohammed bin Sulayem, the vice president for sport at the FIA, F1s governing body; and Paul Monaghan, the head of engineering for the Red Bull F1 team.

"We have spoken for some considerable time about F1 going out into the schools and making sure people understand what motorsport is about," said Richard Cregan, the chief executive of Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management, which runs the Yas Marina Circuit.

Esraa

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2009.