JANUARY 06, 2013
Muscat: With new venues and lots of events lined up, Muscat Festival 2013 promises to be different this year. Slated to be held from January 30 to February 28, (though officially not announced), according to the Muscat Festival website, the venue this time will include Al Amerat Park and Bausher Stadium apart from Naseem Gardens.
However, the Qurum Natural Park will not be part of the festival this time. Like always, the festival will include a number of activities related to Omani culture and heritage in addition to fashion shows, food festivals, musical shows, special events, laser shows, and fireworks.
Muscat Fashion Week (MFW) and Tour of Oman will be among the highlights of the Muscat Festival 2013. The Muscat Fashion Week, however, will be held between January 15 and 17. The Tour of Oman is likely to held sometime in the second week of February.
Meanwhile, residents in Qurum area as well as citizens have welcomed the move not to hold the Muscat Festival in Qurum Natural Park. "For most of us living around and close to the park, life would have become very inconvenient because of erratic parking by visitors to the festival," said a resident living opposite to the park.
"Choosing Amerat Park as a venue is a great idea since we can avoid the traffic snarls that we normally witness during Muscat Festival. This is especially important with so much construction work going on on the roads," said Najeem B, a resident.
Entrance to Naseem Garden and Bausher Stadium has been set at 200 baizas for adults and 100 baizas for children. However, entry to Amerat Park is likely to remain free. Amerat Park events will include the Heritage Village. Depicting traditional life in the coastal, agricultural, rural and Bedouin communities in the country through folklore shows and live demonstrations of traditional crafts and cuisine, this is a one stop shop for those who want to know Oman.
Besides, an international exhibition of craftsmanship and traditional arts, which will have craftsmen from around the world participating in it, will be held between February 14 and 28.
Family activities
While the events at Naseem Gardens are likely to include family activities like international trade fair, shopping, acrobatics, games, Omani concerts, awareness programme, rides and children's shows, the events at Bausher Stadium are yet to be made known.
For the local residents, Muscat Festival means an occasion for celebration. Come Muscat Festival and the city transforms from near tranquillity into an action song. The best part of the festival is that it has something in store for all the old, middle-aged, young, kids and even the babies.
The biggest festival in the country, which sees a huge congregation of visitors not only from Oman but also from all over the globe, is indeed a treat.
Since it started in February 1998, Muscat Festival has managed to invent and reinvent itself into a major entertainment spectacle, plus a carnival and a shopping wonder all rolled into one. The festival, organised by the Muscat Municipality, is an eagerly awaited event.
© Times of Oman 2013
