Dubai, 08 August 2006

Dubai Municipality has unveiled an array of spectacular events for the Flower Surprises Week, which will begin on Thursday, August 10, as the Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) enters its 8th week. Tonnes of natural flowers will be showered on visitors to Mall of the Emirates, where the colourful opening ceremony will be held. Throughout the week, shopping malls of the city will welcome their visitors with plenty of activities involving flowers.

The opening ceremony, to be held under the theme "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon" at the mall from 5 pm onwards, has many specialties which were  announced in a press conference held at Mall of the Emirates on Monday.

Mohammed Al Fardan, General Coordinator of the Flower Surprises Week and Member of the DSS Organising Committee, said that it would be a distinctive week full of surprises for the visitors as the Municipality has arranged an array of entertainment activities at different shopping malls.

He said that the Municipality is keen to commence the activities of the Flower Surprises Week in a different way every year as the major show on the opening day would begin at 7.30 pm. It will be an evening to remember thanks to an array of attractive colours, special audio-visual effects and oriental music.

Al Fardan said the show will be performed with new techniques that are going to be presented for the first time in the region.

"The large area at Mall of the Emirates will enable visitors, who are expected in large numbers, to view all activities in a comfortable way. The theme for this year's opening ceremony is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon which is an embodiment of marvellous oriental engineering design in landscaping and beautification. A group of specialists, flown in from abroad, will manage the show. As usual, the audience will be treated to a fantastic flower rain and balloon dropping, accompanied by eastern music, heralding the opening of the Flower Surprises Week," he said.

Visitors can get raffle coupons upon entering the mall and prizes worth thousands of dirhams would be given away.

Al Fardan noted that the week's other activities include a Tea Corner in which people of different nationalities will display how tea is being prepared in a variety of ways. Families arriving at the Dubai International Airport will be received with flowers and valuable gifts for children.

Various contests have also been organised as part of the week which will be held in two segments: Perfumes and Flowers. The contests are: Natural Flower Arrangement, Artificial Flower Arrangement, Dried Flower Arrangement, Cars Decorated with Flower, Decorated Wedding Stage, Wedding Parade with Flower, Best Wedding, Western Perfume (Female), Western Perfume (Male), Best Oriental Perfume, Flower Costume for Kids, Hats with Flower for Kids, and Best Flowers for Kids.

In another first for this year, talented artists of various age groups will be invited to participate in a drawing competition with flower as its main theme. Visitors to different shopping malls can participate in this contest as a moving canvas will be displayed in prominent malls of the city. Over 300 students alone are expected to participate in this contest which is being organised in coordination with the Dubai Educational Zone.

Al Fardan said the Municipality has arranged a variety of other contests with attractive prizes for increased public participation. "These contests include the flower fashion contests at Mercato Mall. There will be contests for the Best Costume Decorated with flowers (Kids/Female)."

He said the Municipality is bringing the carnival this year with many specialties. "The shopping malls will bring this year more than 50 flower characters, who will take rounds in different shopping malls and perform stunning acrobatic shows welcoming the visitors. There will be daily shows at six shopping malls," he said.

Flower rain will be a speciality of this year's Flower Surprises Week too in different shopping malls as trained artists will shower visitors with flower petals after a variety of related entertainment shows.

In addition to this, there would be live demonstrations and workshops on flower arrangement with natural, artificial and dried flowers, workshops on decorating flower vases and other useful educational workshops on flowers, in addition to free painting and handicrafts workshops at different shopping malls throughout the week.

In total, some 10,000 flowers will be distributed to the public in various venues of the Flower Surprises Week, in addition to visitors arriving at the Dubai International Airport.

-Ends-

© Press Release 2006