‘Dubai Culture’ Successfully Concludes Eighth Edition of ‘Live our Heritage Festival’

Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, has successfully concluded the eighth edition of its ‘Live our Heritage Festival’, which was held at Global Village under ‘An Eye on Emirati Cultural Heritage’ theme. The festival was attended by a record number of over 120,000 visitors and saw more than 800 people participating in over 40 workshops.

The festival closing ceremony honoured more than 20 sponsors and partners that were part of the festival’s success, and was attended by Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General at Dubai Culture; Ghaya Al Muhairi, Acting Director of Dubai Educational Zone; Bader Anwahi, CEO of Global Village; and a number of other senior officials from the Authority and Global Village. 

Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting Director General at Dubai Culture, commented: “We at Dubai Culture are proud of the outstanding success of the eighth edition of our ‘Live our Heritage Festival’, and would like to thank all of our partners for contributing to this success. Special thanks go to our partner Global Village, which served as the perfect platform for this event. This year’s festival aimed to showcase UAE heritage to a huge number of visitors, giving them the opportunity to learn about traditional UAE crafts. It also celebrated the ‘Year of Zayed 2018’ by upholding the values of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who instilled us all with a love and respect for our nation’s heritage and traditions, as well as the will to convey them to future generations.”

"We are proud that we hosted the 8th season of the Live Our Heritage Festival as part of season 22 in partnership with Dubai Culture.  It is a true representation of Emirati living heritage and our partnership is in line with one of the most important goals of Global Village - that of introducing our guests of different ages to various cultures from across the world and make sure it is passed through generations in the most innovative means. We are proud to be one of the oldest Emirati brands helping promote the culture of the UAE through our innovative events for the millions of guests that visit us every season," said Bader Anwahi, CEO of Global Village.

Over the course of six weeks, the festival programme included educational workshops focusing on traditional UAE crafts such as palm frond braiding, veil making, thread weaving, perfume making, silver crafting and coffee making. Craftsmen explained each craft, the concept behind it, and its history and presence in the Gulf, while also presenting manufacturing methods to raise the public’s awareness of the raw materials and tools used. The festival also featured an area showcasing handmade products, a reception area, and an arena for live shows.

Dubai Culture’s Dubai Heritage Development Centres also participated by hosting events under a ‘Year of Zayed 2018’ theme, and other activities such as recycling materials into products of a heritage nature, folk songs, and presentations and workshops on traditional crafts conducted by the centres’ students for the general public. The festival also includes UAE folk dance performances such as ‘Al Ayyala,’ ‘Al Harbiya’ and ‘Al Andema’, along with ‘Yola’ and ‘Razfa’ dances. 

Dubai Culture aims to enhance Dubai’s cultural scene and draw attention to the Emirate’s rich heritage with a variety of initiatives that take place throughout the year. The Authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilisations and cultures through enriching initiatives that benefit the Emirate’s citizens, residents and visitors.