The Festival at Masdar City Celebrates Year of Reading

Family fun, reading corner and various educational activities attract record number of visitors

 The Festival at Masdar City, held as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), continues to grow year-on-year, with this year’s edition attracting a record number of UAE residents for a weekend of fun-filled, entertaining and educational activities for the whole family.

In its third year, the Masdar-hosted Festival inspired UAE residents to adopt more sustainable habits by taking part in a series of interactive activities that relate to clean energy and sustainability.

Masdar Sustainability Director Dr Nawal Al-Hosany said: “The growing popularity of The Festival at Masdar City reflects the increased interest among UAE residents in all aspects of sustainable living. Sustainability is not an academic concept - it is a lifestyle - and that is what the festival aims to inspire residents of all ages to discover and adopt.”

With 2016 being named the ‘Year of Reading’ in the UAE, the Festival enabled the community to learn firsthand at the Reading Corner and through a series of educational activities about sustainability and renewable energy.

Hosted at Masdar City, a living laboratory for all aspects of sustainability, the Festival involved the City’s tenants in the weekend’s programme which featured special education zones that highlighted different themes of sustainable living and renewable energy, supported by interactive workshops for children and their families.

Masdar City also welcomed local exhibitors promoting sustainable living solutions, organic produce and eco-goods, along with food stalls and music performances.

Other highlights included a workshop on growing your own food, an arts and crafts station with recycled materials, an Eco Lab with a range of renewable energy experiments, and a demonstration on how to make your own solar lighting system, hosted by Liter of Light, the 2015 winner of the Zayed Future Energy Prize.

All of the activities will continue 10AM to 9PM throughout Saturday.

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About Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

“Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) is the largest gathering on sustainability in the Middle East -- a ground-breaking global forum that unites thought leaders, policy makers and investors to address the challenges and opportunities of renewable energy and sustainable development through dialogue and action. With a new mandate to confront climate change achieved at the Paris Climate Conference (COP 21), ADSW 2016 is promoting multilateral cooperation and bold decision making to accelerate the adoption of the sustainable solutions needed to realise the economic aspirations of future generations and to accommodate rapid global population growth.”

About Masdar

Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company which works to advance the development, commercialisation and deployment of clean energy technologies and solutions. The company serves as a link between today’s fossil fuel economy and the energy economy of the future. Wholly owned by the Mubadala Development Company PJSC, the strategic investment company of the Government of Abu Dhabi, Masdar is dedicated to the United Arab Emirates’ long-term vision for the future of energy and water. For more information please visit: www.masdar.ae or connect with Masdar at facebook.com/masdar.ae and twitter.com/masdar. For further media enquiries, please contact press@masdar.ae