The third edition of the Mother of the Nation Festival officially opened its doors this Thursday, March 22nd to crowds of guests who gathered from across the Emirate, eager to experience the exciting event packed with more than 100 workshops, performances and activities for the entire family to enjoy. 

The festival kick-started with thrilling performances by Canadian/Lebanese singer-songwriter Danny Aridi and Jordan-based pop band Hayajan, hailed as the ‘Arabic Coldplay’, in between hip-hop sets from MC Big Hass. In celebration of the festival’s opening, there was also a stunning firework display that lit up the sky on Thursday evening in a spectacular array of light and colour.  Friday night saw performances from Arab celebrity Mohamed Al Shehhi, who enthralled audiences with a selection of his most popular hits, Aridi and the Middle East’s leading hip-hop duo Sons of Yusuf, in between sets from Canadian/Lebanese MC May Sayed. The festival’s opening weekend closed with performances from percussionist and tabla player Daneel Sayegh and East/West fusion big stage band Harget Kart as well as DJ sets by MC Jad Haidar.

All three nights also saw the breathtaking Dancing Fire spectacle that lit up the waters of the Corniche with fireballs flying and tall towers of flame blazing forth in a choreographed dance of fire. 

Organised by the Department of Tourism and Culture – Abu Dhabi, the festival will run for ten days until Saturday, March 31st and is one of the most hotly anticipated events of the year. Paying tribute to the living legacy and progressive vision of ‘the Mother of the Nation’, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, and President of the Supreme Council of Motherhood and Childhood, the event is a hub of high-quality entertainment for the entire family.

Located on Abu Dhabi Corniche, the festival is split into four distinct activation zones and a commemorative main pavilion, which will embody Sheikha Fatima’s inspirational values of empowerment, conservation, collaboration and sustainability, as well as the overarching themes of tolerance, collaboration, and camaraderie. 

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