Get ready to play Footypool, shop a wish or taste new dishes around the kingdom as Shop Bahrain makes a comeback for its third edition this week.

Co-organised by the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) and Tamkeen, Shop Bahrain (from January 19 to February 18) is a unique 30-day celebration of the kingdom's hospitality and tourism offering, boasting a wide range of events and unbeatable promotions for residents and visitors.

With over 22 restaurants, 17 hotels and 14 malls participating in the celebration, the festival brings a fun-filled schedule of entertaining activities and live performances and also offers visitors a chance to win a wide range of prizes.

At a press conference held today at the Capital Club, Shaikh Khaled Bin Humood Al Khalifa, chief executive of the Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), and Yousif Alkhan, Shop Bahrain festival director, gave the media a sneak peak into the Calender of Events for the festive month.

Beginning on January 19, ‘Festival City’, located in Bahrain Bay, will feature a number of activities for the entire family including games, food stalls along with live entertainment and performances. Entrance is priced at BD2 ($5.2), while kids aged six and below can enter for free.

Making a popular comeback this year is 'Taste Tour' where participants will be able to sample dishes and vote for their favourite restaurants out of the 29 participating outlets. They will also have the opportunity to win an Infinity Q50 car from YK Almoayyed & Sons as part of ‘The Taste Tour’ raffle draw.

A number of exciting activities will also be held at participating malls. Visitors can join in the fun with games such as Lucky Box (Seef Mall, Seef District), Escape Chambers (Bahrain Mall, Sanabis), Kids Cinema (Saar Mall) and a Makeup Seminar with Fouz Al Fahad (Moda Mall), among other activities.

“It gives us great pleasure to announce the calendar of events for the third-edition of the Bahrain Shopping Festival. Shop Bahrain aims to further drive the growth of the tourism and retail sectors in the Kingdom and contribute to the development of the national economy whilst increasing the average daily expenditure of tourists,” said Shaikh Khalid.

Further commenting on the upcoming launch of Shop Bahrain, Alkhan said: “We remain focused to develop a strong partnership with all stakeholders in order to create a rich and fun-filled experience for residents and tourists. We have developed an enjoyable calendar of events for the entire family with valuable prizes at stake.”

Shoppers at participating malls also stand the chance to win a wide range of prizes including one of 12 cars and over 25,000 valuable prizes. When purchasing directly from any participating outlet and partner, shoppers will be enrolled in the Festival’s loyalty system, allowing them a chance to win exciting prizes.

The four weekly raffle draws will take place at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism headquarters.

Shoppers and visitors can learn more about "Shop Bahrain" through the website: www.shopbahrain.com or through the account @shopbahrain on the social networking channels Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The festival organisers have also launched a dedicated WhatsApp channel on 38999111. - TradeArabia News Service