Performances
The Festival brings you a selection of lively performances inspired by traditional Emirati music, poetry and heritage.
Poetry
An intimate setting will feature a poetry performance by Abdulla Al Hedya accompanied by music from Ali Al Keebali on Rababa and Faisal Al Sari on Oud, exclusively written for Qasr Al Hosn Festival 2015.
Memory of the Emirati Song
Enjoy a live performance that seeks to revive the memory of Emirati folk songs cherished by older generations from the perspective of Emirati youth.
Emirati musicians from today’s generation will pay tribute to their forefathers in a live performance preceded by a pre-show screening of a film documenting the memory of the Emirati song.
Rababa Music Performance
The tales of bedouin society live on through desert storytelling, accompanied by music and the beloved Emirati Rababa tunes.
The traditional bedouin music of the Rababa, a bowed stringed instrument, was prominent in early Emirati society as accompaniment to song and poetry. Celebrate Desert Hospitality by enjoying a Rababa Music Performance at the Desert zone.
Sand Artist Performance
Specially commissioned for the Festival, this Cultural Foundation Amphitheatre programme is not-to-be-missed.
Featuring the sand artist Shayma Al Mughairy, the performance will depict the history of Qasr Al Hosn with sand.
The programme will be accompanied by music and the beloved Emirati Rababa’s tunes.
Elements of Abu Dhabi
Through the medium of shadow, a group of skilled performers create a captivating show that represents the landscape and stories of Abu Dhabi: Desert, Sea and Oasis.
Inspired by Emirati culture, atmospheric projections, a mood-driven soundscape and spoken word poetry unite to create a rhythmic canvas to project an expressive story of heritage.
Habet Ramel Play
A slice of iconic Emirati culture comes to the Qasr Al Hosn Festival for the first time.
An episode of the television programme, Habet Ramel is adapted into a theatre format providing a rare chance to see the show’s 1960s focused social drama, with all your favourite characters and scenes live and up close.
The Horse Whisperer
Marvel at acrobatic stunts, horse presentations and the secret skills of a horse whisperer at this spectacular show, which pays homage to the dignified power and beauty of Arabian horses and their special significance within Emirati culture.
Al Ain Zoo Bird Show
Witness the age-old pursuit of desert sport as falcons and other native birds swoop and dive in an impressive show of aerial acrobatics, demonstrating how our ancestors formed close bonds and learned to adapt their hunting skills.
This informative show educates and entertains throughout the lively presentation.
Abu Dhabi Today: A City between Tradition and Modernity
A concert with a mixed music programme featuring traditional and contemporary music played by Oud Master Faisal al Saari and accompanied by Emirati Qanun player, Ali Muhairbi. The goal of the concert is to tell the story of modern Abu Dhabi with its different influences from all over the world through music.