Muharraq Nights Festival will return for its second edition this year, taking place on the Pearling Path and open to visitors free of charge.
Organised by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, and in cooperation with the Sheikh Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Centre for Culture and Research, it will take place daily between December 14 to December 23 from 5pm to 10pm.
The festival invites visitors to the city of Muharraq with all its history, architecture and cultural heritage. Activities will be held within eight areas: arts, design, crafts, food, music, activities and tours, in addition to the children’s corner.
The Muharraq Nights Festival comes as part of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s celebrations of its national holidays to commemorate the establishment of the modern Bahraini state during the reign of the founder Ahmed the Conqueror as an Arab Muslim state in 1783, and the anniversary of the accession of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The Muharraq Nights Festival is one of the city’s newest and largest cultural initiatives during the month of December. Its programme is comprehensive and includes art exhibitions, musical evenings, markets, tasting experiences, food and many workshops that will be organised along the Pearling Path, which extends from Bu Maher Castle in the south to the Sovereign Council in the north.
During the Muharraq Nights Festival, many exhibitions will open their doors to receive visitors, such as the ‘Pearling Path: Witness to the Economy of an Island’ exhibition, the ‘And I Continue to Demarcate the Borders...’ display by artist Camille Zakaria and many more artistic works that make the city of Muharraq a complete artistic canvas, with the participation of Bahraini artists.
The Muharraq Nights Festival sheds light on traditional crafts, as many shops open their doors to receive visitors in order to learn about these crafts and display their creative products, such as Dar Al-Bannain for gypsum and decoration, gold and jewellery stores, Dibaj Swords Workshop, and Bouzbon Antiques and Curar. In order to provide an integrated cultural experience, festival-goers will be able to eat contemporary and traditional Bahraini foods spread in various corners along the Pearling Path, such as Bu Maher Castle, Fakhro Buildings 1 and 2, Al Qaisariya Market and Dana Square.
Throughout the duration of the festival, musical evenings will be held at locations around Muharraq. Bu Maher Castle will present to the public the Bahraini artist Faisal Al Ansari and the Majaz Band, while Dar Al Muharraq will present folk arts evenings with the Dar Bin Harban Band and the Qalali Folk Arts Band, while sound art performances will be held in the Mohammed Hall. Bin Faris for Gulf sound art. The Pearling Path Visitor Centre will be transformed into a space to host popular music performances as well, and in the ‘Green Antiquities’ pavilion there will be performances of contemporary music with up-and-coming artists, in addition to live music on the corners of the Pearling Path’s roads and squares.
In order to obtain all the latest information about the festival’s programmes, dates, event venues, parking places and participation in events that require registration, check out the Muharraq Nights Instagram account @CultureBah.
For more news and information, visit www.bahrainthismonth.com/updates
