A host of exciting events aimed at the entire family are drawing crowds of people at the Bahrain Summer festival which enters its second month.
The Economic Development Board which is organising the event, has offered special discounts to families buying five tickets or more to shows such as the Bear in the Big Blue House, Sesame Street Live, Cirque Des Reeves and Toys Land. Special discounts are also available for Bahrain corporates as part of an effort to encourage companies to get their staff to take advantage of the events. Other attractions include magician Franz Harary's performances, Race Zone, Space Park which features Russian spacecraft Buran. Visitors of all nationalities are being offered a two-week visa at a nominal fee of BD5 ($13) on arrival at Bahrain airport. Bahrain Summer kicked off on July 1 with a spectacular display of fireworks watched by more than 2,000 people at the Bahrain Summer City, in Seef District. The colourful opening ceremony, staged in the specially-built mega tent, was held under the patronage of Crown Prince and BDF Commander-in-Chief Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who deputised Information Minister Nabeel Al Hamer to attend the event. Among the participants were VIPs, Government officials, dignitaries and around 500 children under 12 years, who have entered and won the first Bahrain Summer Competition. The 45-minute programme started with the Bahrain Summer Song, featuring 200 children from government schools. The programme included a light and laser show, a fireworks display and a spectacular pyrotechnic logo launch. The stratosphere show used laser lights and pyrotechnics to paint logos and images on a giant ball. The visit of festival mascot Mahboob was followed by a repertoire of specially composed song and dance by schoolchildren. Two 6 x 4 metre screens provided guests with a clear view of the stage. Six special floats, representing some of the major shows that are part of Bahrain Summer, also made their debut appearance. A national song and fireworks marked the grand finale. Al Hamer was later joined by Economic Development Board (EDB) chief executive Jamal Al Hazeem and Goys President Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa in cutting a ribbon, heralding the launch of the festival. The show was directed by Bassam Al Thawadi and choreographed and produced by PICO International.