The Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA) is set to host the third edition of the ‘Hurafuna’ Handicrafts Festival next month.

The announcement came during a press conference that took place on March 26 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Center.

The press conference was headed by the chief executive officer of BTEA, Shaikh Khaled bin Humood Al Khalifa, in the presence of the guest of honour, the Ambassador of Egypt to Bahrain, Suha Ibrahim Mohammed Rifaat; the director of Handicrafts Directorate, Shaikha Wafa bint Saif Al Khalifa; the director of marketing and tourism promotion at BTEA, Yousef Al Khan; and media representatives.

"We are pleased to announce the launch of the third edition of the ‘Hurafuna’ Handicrafts Festival, which will coincide with the Formula 1 2018 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at the start of next month. The festival is expected to attract a large number of visitors and tourists from all over the world,” said Shaikh Khaled.

“This year we will also have numerous talented Egyptian craftsmen participating and showcasing unique handcrafted products at the festival. Hosting this event comes in line with BTEA’s keenness to preserve the Kingdom’s crafts and traditional industries for future generations,” he added.

Additionally, Rifaat expressed her delight: “We are proud to have the Egyptian craftsmen participate in the upcoming edition of the ‘Hurafuna’ Handicrafts Festival, and giving them the opportunity to showcase their products to all residents and visitors from the neighboring GCC countries and beyond, further enhancing cooperation between the two countries across various fields.”

The festival will provide 11 Bahraini and 11 Egyptian craftsmen a platform to showcase and sell various unique handicrafts including hand-woven baskets, traditional musical instruments, wooden boxes, pottery, model ships and much more. The ’Hurafuna’ Handicrafts Festival will be open to the public and will offer visitors a variety of family entertainment including live performances by traditional Bahraini bands.

“‘Hurafuna’ Handicrafts Festival comes in-line with our efforts to provide craftsmen the opportunity to develop their skills in designing high-quality products. The Handicraft Directorate is keen on providing various educational workshops next year that will include leather making, jewellery making, knitting and embroidery of heritage fashion and more,” said Shaikha Wafa.

The Hurafuna’ Handicrafts Festival will be held between April 4 and 8 in Bab Al Bahrain- TradeArabia News Service