Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, organiser of SummerFest Abu Dhabi, the emirate’s seasonal destination extravaganza, has unveiled an action-packed line-up of 98 shows over 47 days during its flagship Show World family activation at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).
Free-to-attend for all SummerFest Abu Dhabi general ticket holders, Show World – some of the core attractions on the festival’s ADNEC hub – will feature seven blockbuster acts performing twice-daily shows during week-long runs. Show World can be open during the 52-day festival, which runs 27th June – 17th August and spans the Holy Month of Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr and the emirate’s traditional EidFest celebrations.
Designed to entice, engage and excite, the Show World bill kicks off with two consecutive regional premieres of 90-minute live action shows so one can attract local and expatriate kids alike. Raising the Show World curtain is Cartoon Network’s LAZY TOWN SURVIVE STAGE – ROBOTICUS show, which get kids up and active throughout its June 27th- July 3rd run, with daily performances at 16:30 and 19:30.
Show World’s second week sees much-loved BANANAS IN PYJAMAS duo, B1 and B2, take-over for his or her side-splitting Banana-rific production from July 4-8th – again performing in daily shows at 16:30 and 19:30. For the ultimate July 9th performances, to coincide with the beginning of Ramadan, timings change to 21:00 and 23:30.
The evening performances continue into week three as Sesame Street’s IFTAH YA SIMSIM LIVE: TREASURE HUNT – featuring loveable Muppet favourites, Bader, Anees, Elmo, Khokha, Ka’aki and Gharghour known as Bert, Ernie, Elmo, Cookie Monster and Grover – embark on a mega dance and musical show from July 10-13th and 15-19th.
Week four sees the foremost characters from four hit Cartoon Network shows – Ben 10 Omniverse, Ben 10, Ben 10 Alien Force and Ben 10 Ultimate Alien – perform the BEN 10 LIVE: TIME MACHINE in evening performance slots from July 20-21st and 23-27th.
Local sensation, FREEJ, closes out the ultimate week of evening Ramadan shows from July 28th – 30th and August 1st – 4th. The all new locally-produced show features hilarious antics as hero character, Abood, goes on a fantasy adventure while taking care of one of the most grandmother’s pet canary – a bird that lives in a fish bowl. Meeting new friends and learning new lessons, ‘Abood’s Dream’ is a fun-filled, traditional family theatre experience with a native cultural twist.
From August 5th and 7th-12th, SCOOBY-DOO LIVE! MUSICAL MYSTERIES picks up the Show World mantle with big musical numbers – including the cartoon’s classic theme song, ‘Scooby-Doo, Where Are You’ – in addition to original tracks ‘Round Every Corner’ and ‘We’re Mystery Inc.’ The August 5th shows keep the 21:00 and 23:30 Ramadan timings, before returning to the sooner slots of 16:30 and 19:30 from August 7-12th.
Rounding out the Show World line up, from August 14-17th, is BEN 10 ULTIMATE CHALLENGE – a live game show pitting the region’s biggest Ben 10 fans against one another in four rounds of intense competition. The made-for-TV special runs three-times-a-day at 16:00, 18:00 and 20:00.
“This Show World line-up will ensure ADNEC is the freshest and coolest place to be this summer,” said Sultan Al Muhairi, Manager, SummerFest Abu Dhabi. “With such a lot of free-to-attend shows and the sort of varied line-up of international and homegrown stars, families would be spoilt for choice in the course of the festival. We are hoping it will become a main draw for visitors from around the GCC and beyond,” said Sultan Al Muhairi, Manager, SummerFest Abu Dhabi.
In addition to the edutainment activities, world-class shows and exciting international performances at its ADNEC hub, the recent-look SummerFest Abu Dhabi, formerly referred to as Summer in Abu Dhabi, also features an exhilarating line-up of Arabic concerts, comedy nights, theatre productions and celebrity-driven sport activations rolling out at du Forum on Yas Island – the primary time Abu Dhabi’s entertainment district has got in at the emirate’s summer act.
Meanwhile, guests booking at least three nights’ stay at any of 40 participating Abu Dhabi hotels during SummerFest Abu Dhabi, excluding Eid, also will get free entry tickets to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi theme park and the award-winning Yas Waterworld – recently named the center East’s leading attraction by the realm Travel Awards. Hotel guests can even receive free WiFi and youngsters under 12 will eat free.