The roaming carnival performs three times a day for 30 minutes and features ribbon dancers, mimes, musicians, and character performers.
Shouts of children skating excitedly across the 360-square metre outdoor Ice Rink, the largest in the UAE, are submerged by the echoes of various performers at the seventh edition of the popular Sharjah Water Festival at Al Majaz Park.
Children, particularly, watch the acrobatic feats of the world renowned Aqua Circus acrobats and stuntmen in awe. The performers entertain visitors with a comedy show featuring high dives, even Olympic dives, fire dives and perform with one pole and a trampoline. Asma Ahmed, 28, and husband Mohammed Syed, 38, say that every year for the past five years they have been bringing their two kids, Salman, 7, and Hassan, 12, to the Sharjah Water Festival to see what’s new. “We are happy that for the first time we have seen these bold acts of skillful circus performers. Our kids really enjoy it. Though we came on the opening day on December 11, our children want to come back. This is really our third night.”
Majority of the children are following the unicyclists, musical stilt performers, jugglers and street entertainers moving around Al Majaz Park. They are mesmerised by their colourful costumes and, more importantly, their amazing acts.
Suzanne, an eight-year-old Lebanese girl, keeps touching the costumes of the stilt dancers every time they stop for a moment. This roaming carnival performs three times a day for 30 minutes and features ribbon dancers, mimes, musicians, and character performers. They parade through the park in different costumes each time with themes of ‘Beneath the Sea’, ‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘Winged Creatures.’
Other children laugh at the performances of the roaming clowns and play on the Climbing Wall and Bungee Trampoline, and take part at the Skate Park, Bag Jump Show, Heritage Area, Roaming Musicians Shows, Mouj Meet and Greet and Sid’s Ice Age Adventure Camp, a 25-minute interactive show where kids are encouraged to shout out responses, get involved in all the activities and sing and dance.
Since the Sharjah Water Festival opened to a grand performance, Al Majaz Park has been turned into a little world of fantasy and an amazing entertainment hub for residents, visitors, and families in the UAE and beyond.
Sharjah Media Corporation chairman Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, who formally opened the festival that runs till December 21, lauded the SWF seventh year featuring new popular entertainment and amusement activities sourced from around the world.
Al Qasimi says the Sharjah Water Festival, Sharjah Grand Prix, Sharjah Light Festival and other such international events have helped Sharjah earn a special place in the region and around the world and has brought the Emirate the recognition as the Capital of Arab and Islamic culture.
He lauded the authority for its continuing efforts to attract international visitors with world-class family festivals and events that celebrate the Emirati and Arab heritage and values.
SCTDA Chairman Mohammed Ali Al Noman says this year’s Sharjah Water Festival has attracted thousands of visitors from across the region and beyond at the peak of the holiday season.
“This year will prove to be the most entertaining as the organisers have roped in some of the best artists, performers and technical wizards to provide non-stop, wholesome fun for 11 days. There are more than 20 international shows,” he says.
The Talking Tree while being full of funny fables, also has animals which the kids can feed, touch or hold. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Director General of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), who expects some 10,000 visitors daily, says that most of the animals in the mini sanctuary have been donated or rescued by teams of volunteers and animal lovers alongside Paws Kennel.
A heritage area features a welcome tent, heritage shops selling photography, local food and merchandise and the opportunity to get up close with a falcon. Local bands also play daily on the heritage stage.
Entrance fee to the park is Dh10.
