Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) has revealed programme details of the annual Qasr Al Hosn Festival to be held from February 11 to 21 in the emirate.

The festival will celebrate the UAE’s tangible and intangible heritage through a rich, diverse programme featuring guided tours of the fort, inspiring activities and live performances in the Cultural Foundation Building, in addition to public programmes held on the festival grounds reflecting various elements of UAE culture.

For this year’s edition of the festival, the cultural programme is inspired by two themes: Abu Dhabi’s traditional heritage epitomised by the iconic Qasr Al Hosn Fort and its surrounding areas, and the importance of modern heritage showcased in the Cultural Foundation Building through a variety of activities.

The people attending the festival will have the opportunity to access the iconic Fort and Cultural Foundation Building, participate in architectural, historical and cultural journeys, and be part of one of the capital’s cultural development initiatives.

Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of TCA Abu Dhabi, said: “The 2015 programme was created to offer visitors with a holistic cultural experience, and narrate stories in a compelling, educational, yet engaging manner. The festival area has been redesigned to include new elements and activities that seamlessly fuse the traditional with the modern.

“This year, we are looking forward to reopening the doors of the Cultural Foundation Building by activating larger areas within through a rich programme of experiential activities, workshops and performances designed to revive its memory and to introduce the conservation approach for such an important modern heritage building.”

The festival will present the history of Qasr Al Hosn to the visitors through a series of curated programmes such as the Qasr Al Hosn Exhibition; Fort Tours; and the National Consultative Council Chamber experience.

A larger area of the Cultural Foundation Building will be opened this year.

The building will host a series of interactive activities celebrating its collective memory and invite the public to participate in activities designed to bring the building back to life, including ‘Experiencing the Cultural Foundation Building’ a Tour through the Past, Present and Future of a Modern Heritage Landmark; the ‘Lest We Forget: Structures of Memory in the United Arab Emirates’ Exhibition; performances at the reopened Amphitheatre; several arts and crafts workshops for visitors across different age groups; and the popular ‘Gahwa.’ - TradeArabia News Service