UAE: Al Ain Book Festival Kicks off at 9 Cultural Sites, Brings 60,000 Titles and 400 Events

editorial November 20, 2023

2 minutes read

The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) inaugurated the 14th Al Ain Book Festival, taking place until November 25 under the theme ‘All Eyes on Al Ain’.

The festival features over 400 events and specialised programmes in the fields of culture, the arts, and creativity. The event is open to the public and aims to promote knowledge among all segments of the community, with more than 60,000 book titles presented by 150 exhibitors. The activities will be held across nine of the most prominent cultural sites in Al Ain City.

This year, the festival seeks to celebrate books, the arts, and various aspects of literary creativity through rich and diverse interactive activities aimed at promoting the culture of reading and motivating the community, especially youth, to engage with authentic Emirati cultural heritage.

Moreover, the festival aims to highlight Al Ain City as a prominent destination for organising cultural events and exhibitions that cater to the diverse UAE community. This is highlighted by the festival’s cultural, literary, artistic, and entertainment activities, set to be held across historical and heritage sites and appealing to all ages.

Al Ain Book Festival events will be held across nine major locations in Al Ain City.

Al Ain Square – Hazza bin Zayed Stadium serves as the main site of the festival, hosting a range of educational and recreational activities for children and youth, as well as diverse sessions bringing together talented young participants. The festival will celebrate special occasions with interactive events and host art exhibitions and musical performances, including an art corner offering specialised workshops to nurture artistic talents.

Meanwhile, the festival’s cultural and artistic programme will be held at Al Ain Square, Qasr Al Muwaiji, Bait Mohammed bin Khalifa, Zayed Central Library, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), and Al Qattara Arts Centre, as well as retail centres Al Ain Mall, Barari Mall, and Al Foah Mall. The programming offers a series of seminars, debates, and initiatives highlighting a wide range of topics.

For the second consecutive year, the Al Ain Book Festival is dedicating a full programme towards celebrating leading poets from Al Ain, known for their popular sung poems. Moreover, the festival hosts daily poetry evenings that highlight the legacy of these celebrated sung poets locally and regionally over the decades.

The theme of the festival will be ‘All Eyes on Al Ain’ and the event will be held at Al Ain Square, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, and cultural sites including Qasr Al Muwaiji, Bait Mohammed bin Khalifa, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Zayed Central Library, and Al Qattara Arts Centre, as well as commercial centres around Al Ain city.

Now in its 14th edition, the festival celebrates books, art, and various aspects of literary creativity with a rich and diverse programme and interactive activities that promote a culture of reading, engaging various segments of the community, especially youth, in connecting with the rich cultural heritage of the UAE.