14th Bahrain Summer Festival kicks off July 11

The Bahrain Summer Festival 2022 will kick off tomorrow, under the theme “Golden Edition”. Organised by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), the 14th edition of the festival will run until July 31, and will be held in three sites, namely the Bahrain National Museum, the Art Centre and the Cultural Hall.

The festival features an extensive programme of cultural activity that includes a series of workshops, an exciting programme of performances and live artistic and entertainment activities on the stage of the Cultural Hall, in addition to a variety of mobile restaurants, the Nakhool Star competition, and many more, so that visitors of all ages have an enjoyable time.

The Bahrain Festival will kick off on 11 July 2022, at the Cultural Hall that will host a musical piano evening for three rising Bahraini stars in a special show highlighting the local talents. Mohamed Al-Najjar, the winner of several music awards, has performed many shows across the United Kingdom, where he is studying piano and composition, with his latest performances on the Kingdom of Bahrain’s National Theatre stage earlier this year.

The Heritage Commission of the Saudi Ministry of Culture will present a number of workshops at the Arts Centre that seek to introduce the famous handicrafts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It will also present other activities, such as the Little Explorer Initiative, which seeks to prepare a generation that is aware of the importance of antiquities, protects and celebrates them, and the Noqush Project, which is concerned with reviving the Saudi national heritage represented by rock arts and inscriptions.

In conjunction with the Bahrain Summer Festival, the "Young Artisan" initiative programme will be launched in July 2022 at Al Jasra Handicrafts Centre. The initiative is concerned with teaching handicrafts and promoting the concept of heritage in support of efforts to revive traditional crafts in Bahrain.

Over the course of four weeks and at an average of two days a week, young people between the ages of 7 and 12 will participate in the program consisting of workshops focusing on aspects of Bahraini crafts. These workshops include pottery, the manufacture of wooden boxes, Saf al Khoos (palm tree basket making), and engraving on gypsum, which are among the most important crafts in vogue today.

The Cultural Hall will host a world-famous most outrageous live science show, revamped, and better than ever for three successive days, on 12, 13, and 14 July. With captivating, high-energy experiments at the Cultural Hall, “Brainiac Remixed” Live takes stage for the very first time in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Watch these science adventurers leap with courage and curiosity from the safety of your seats, doing new experiments for all to enjoy!

On 15 July, and in collaboration with the Embassy of the State of Palestine in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Palestine TV's “Beit Byout” presents a production on “The Little Lantern” based on late Palestinian author Ghassan Kanafani’s story. The play follows a princess whose father, the king, wills she bring the sun to the palace after his death for her to reign in power — the play trails her thrilling journey, leaving a meaningful message behind.

On July 16, the Culture Hall, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Kingdom of Bahrain, will host the Korean crew “MAKERS” presenting a unique show exploring the main events and features within the contemporary history of Korea, from historical movements to the globally acclaimed K-Pop genre.

On 21 July, in collaboration with the Embassy of the United States of America in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Missoula Children’s Theatre presents an original musical adaptation of Alice in Wonderland based on Lewis Carroll’s tale.

On 17 July, the public certainly enjoy Spanish Flamingo show at the Cultural Hall too. For three successive days, The DaSilva Marionette Circus Troupe from the UK will dazzle the audience by its aerial acrobatics on flying trapeze, spectacular cycling stunts, trampolining, and laugh at the antics of cheeky clowns!

Shows will continue this time with live Indonesian dance on 25 July; the show is organized in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This concert, melodies of the Angklung, a traditional musical instrument made from bamboo that originates from West Java, Indonesia, are mixed beautifully with modern instruments such as the guitar and piano for this performance. On 29, 30 and 31 July “Marco & Rolanda’s BuBBles Revolution” show will be presented.

The Bahrain Summer Festival 2022 workshops will be held between the Cultural Hall, the Bahrain National Museum and the Arts Centre. Over the three weeks of the festival, more than 500 workshops will be held, ranging from handicrafts, plastic arts, sciences, music and others.

Bahrain Summer Festival engages to offer an amazing continuous event all through the festival from 5:00- 9:00 pm, namely the “Storytelling Corner”. Indeed, in collaboration with Isa Cultural Centre, the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture (Heritage Commission), and the United Arab Emirates Embassy in the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as to the various workshops offered at the Art Centre, children will be taken on an exciting journey into different worlds and diverse personalities through storytelling, in addition to a number of enjoyable activities that combine entertainment with knowledge and education! In addition, in collaboration with Watani Magazine - Ministry of Interior, different activities for young children, educating them about many duties towards the country will be offered.

The magazine will be distributed during the whole period of the festival. On weekends, and in an environment full of fun and creativity, children will get a colorful Nakhool character face painting or any of their favorite cartoon characters.

The child favourite competition returns this year. In this edition of the “Nakhool Star” competition, children from 7 to 15 years have the opportunity to display their artistic talents in the fields of music, singing, and/or acting, to win the title of Nakhool Star 2022! To contribute in discovering and developing the talents and creativity of our young stars, the Bahrain Summer Festival holds auditions on the 17th, 18th and 19th of July for all participating children, and a semi-final round on the 27th of July at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and announcing this edition’s Nakhool Star on the 28th of July at 5:00 p.m.. All are welcome to attend and encourage the stars on the stage of the Cultural Hall.