The weather is pleasant, the New Year spirit very much alive. Muscat Festival 2016 becomes the perfect setting to share in this joy. As the crowds throng the venues, the festival has, of late, been the most talked about event for many reasons.
Year 16 of the festival is being celebrated on the theme ‘E’sh Oman’ or ‘Live Oman’. On till February 13, the festival will, like always, have wide international participation. Don’t miss the latest addition, the Dino-saurs Village, at Amerat Park.
The two venues, Amerat Park and Naseem Gardens, will be open to visitors from 4 to 11pm on all days of the week. One weekends, gates close at midnight. Entry ticket rates remain the same this year – 200bz for adults and 100bz for children, which can be bought from the booths at the gates. Rides will be charged separately.
As per official records, almost 20,000 people attend both venues every day. While nationals and expatriates make for a majority of the crowd, tourists also form an impressive number including those from neighbouring UAE, Bahrain and Qatar. The two main venues were reported to be packed as the festival kicked off ahead of the weekend with people also visiting from Salalah, Sur and Barkha.
Speaking about the event, an organiser from Muscat Municipality said, “The response has been great. In the very first week itself, the turnout has been beyond our expectations. Last year the first weekend drew almost 14,000 people. This year’s figure is a huge rise from that.”
The main attraction this time, the Dinosaurs Village is sure to delight visitors as 15 species await them, complete with digitised sound effects and movement. The entrance fee though is not making some parents too happy. Sunil Kumar who was visiting with his two children said, ‘This is sort of disappointing. We have to pay RO1 to enter. The Dinosaurs Village is the most interesting addition to the festival and a huge attraction for children. Last time, the Dinosaurs Village was in Naseem Garden which is too far away for us and this time, it is caged in a separate entrance. It could had been nice if the fee was less.”
The Omani Heritage Village at Amerat Park also has a competition for traditional arts and the International Pavilion. The Heritage Village has a section called Sea Life, a treasure trove of memories from the sultanate’s maritime past, games, fishing equipment and a gigantic dhow named Simbukh, on display.
The Jungle Village is another attraction aimed at giving an educational view of the flora and fauna in the wild with light and sound effects to add to the ambience.
One of the various precautionary measures added to the festival is the number of gates which have been increased to ten from last year’s six. The Muscat Municipality official added, “The extra gates have been arranged keeping in mind the huge number of people. We had over 6,000 people through the main gates yesterday.”
To ensure the safety of visitors, the park has several ambulances, ROP vans, fire emergency services and blood banks on stand-by and various points fitted with CCTV cameras. Muscat Municipality officials constantly patrol the area to offer assistance to visitors. The number of people will also mean more vehicles for which a parking lot accommodating almost 1,000 vehicles has been arranged.
The festival also brings with it one of the most awaited elements – fireworks, one of the best in the region. Every evening, the colourful show of fireworks add to the grandeur of the night sky. It is also reason enough to bring photography enthusiasts like Salim Balushi, a student to the venue. He said, “To be honest, I come here for the fireworks. They are incredible and give me ample opportunity to take some great pictures with my DSLR.” The event, indeed is, a photographers’ delight as pros and amateurs from national and expatriate sections of the crowd click away with bulky DSLR cameras and lenses, point and shoot cameras and smartphones.
There have been mixed reactions about the location. While some people are happy, there are those who are not too pleased owing to the distance from the city. Mohammad al Lawati, a student said, “Though the park is far away from the city, it is good as many Omani families stay around here. However, there are many people who don’t know where Amerat Park is located. I guess people will find out as they visit.”
The organisers will change the style after 15 days, apart from the regular events like acrobatics, heritage shows, food stalls and social awareness programmes. An organiser said, “We plan to have more dynamic shows, magic shows and acrobatics. On the first fifteen days, we will have shows three times a day by troupes from Serbia and Kazakhstan with performances involving water, fire, jugglery and more.
This time, we have increased the number of troupe members. There will also be dance and music shows with musicians from India, Pakistan, Spain, Italy and other parts of Europe.” Those who think they have seen it all better make plans to visit a second time because Muscat Festival 2016 is set to enthrall in a new way.
Source: theweek