Dubai, July 20, 2004 - Enthralled by the legions of masked superheroes and cartoon stars like Batman, Spiderman and Zorro and The Mask, children at the Al Bustan Centre can now create their very own masks, thanks to a Flower Masks Workshop being held there during the ongoing Flower Surprises week organised by Dubai Municipality.

"Children love the idea of masquerades, they love to create new secret identities for themselves and hide behind masks, so we thought this would be a good way to let them exercise their imagination," said Aisha Mohammed, supervisor of the Flower Surprises events at the Al Bustan Centre. "Here, children can create masks according to their individual taste and style."

The Flower Masks Workshops have been very popular at the mall, she added, and supervisors are kept constantly busy teaching children the basics of making masks in different shapes and colours, and then teaching them how to embellish it. In keeping with the theme of the week, the primary ingredients used to embellish are dried and artificial flowers, but there is still plenty of room for the creative impulse to be realized.

The most creative masks will be rewarded with valuable gifts offered by Dubai Municipality and Paris Gallery, she added. Judging criteria includes the originality of the mask, its presentation and its decoration. The Flower Masks Workshop is open to children ages 6 to 12, and is held every day from 4 pm to 9 pm at the Al Bustan Centre in Qusais.

Dubai Summer Surprises 2004 is currently in the Flower Surprises week organised by Dubai Municipality until July 21, followed by Heritage Surprises by Dubai Customs from July 22-28, Adventure Surprises by Dubai Police from July 29-August 4, Knowledge Surprises by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry from August 5-11, Back-2-School Surprises by the Department of Economic Development from August 12-18 and ends with the Colour Surprises by the Department of Health and Medical Sciences from August 19-27, 2004.

-Ends-

For further information, please contact
Hessah Sultan Aurbaya,
Corporate Communication Coordinator,
Dubai Summer Surprises
Tel: +971-4-202 0510;
Fax: +971-4-222 1110
Email: haurbaya@mydsf.gov.ae

© Press Release 2004