31 August 2020
Curtains Fell on Bahrain Summer Festival, Held under “Virtually Together”, After a month of cultural, artistic and creative events
After a very rich effervescent month of virtual remote cultural activities during August 2020, the 12th edition of Bahrain Summer Festival has come to an end. Sixteen Arab and foreign countries took part in this major annual event, held this year under the slogan “Virtually Together”, offering an array of music, art, literary and cultural activities to its lovers.
The 2020 edition of Bahrain Summer Festival coincided this year with Bahrain Culture Authority’s moto in 2020, which is devoted to highlight “Dilmun: Land of Density”. Needless to say that the festival took into consideration the existing health precautionary measures and social distancing procedures, transferring its activities and events online, under the theme “Virtually Together”. Indeed, the festival presented an array of exciting, month-long program of online educational and creative activities, creative and sports ’workshops, performances, cultural sites’ tours and more, for all ages. International music concerts, story-telling and competitions were also be part of this movement of cultural resilience. The festival’s faithful followers and audience could surf into the festival’s shows, events and activities of this year to revive sweet memories by logging on its social media channels on @Nakhoolbah
Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to the 2020 Bahrain Summer Festival’ sponsors, starting with the Ministry of Interior, represented by Bahrain Police Music Band and Watani magazine, Ministry of Information Affairs and the National Institution for Human Rights.
In addition, Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities also expressed thanks to the following embassies for their generous and valuable support and contribution to Bahrain Summer Festival events’ success ; the French embassy, Italian embassy, Kuwaiti embassy, Malaysian embassy, Indonesian embassy, Palestinian embassy, embassy of United States, Japanese embassy, Chinese embassy, Russian embassy, Jordanian embassy, Turkish embassy, Moroccan embassy, Brunei Dar al Salam and Egyptian embassies.
Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities also extended its gratitude and thanks to the festival sponsors; Maestro Sound & Light Company, mii2 Production Company and G-Clef Production Company. Thanks and gratitude are also extended to all those who have contributed to the success of Bahrain Summer Festival this year, namely BACA’s seniors and employees, and supervisors and chief organizers of workshops and activities, such as artists and talented creative minds.
The 12th edition of Bahrain Summer Festival presented two love concerts, namely Ismael Dawas Music Band, near Qala’at al Bahrain site and the second one performed by Dar Riffa Youth Group, near Arad Fort, Muharraq. Bahrain Culture Authority succeeded to offer a unique drive-in concert, allowing performers to connect with fans in real life while maintaining safe social distancing during the Covid 19 coronavirus pandemic, taking into consideration, first and foremost, the safety of everyone, broadcasting both concerts live via Bahrain Radio & TV.
Online Music shows and performances were manifestly on the festival’s menu, held in collaboration with many embassies in Bahrain, such as Mohammad Bin Faris Music Group, and Qalali Folk Band, Chinese Ningxia Performing Arts Group, Youth Symphony Orchestra of Russia, “Vocal Trash”, from USA, Cairo Opera House, from Egypt and many others.
Bahrain Summer Festival 2020 also scheduled a diversified workshops’ program, ranging from manual handicrafts activities, porcelain, arts, theater, printing, restoration of artifacts, singing, to creative skills, such as voice recording, painting etc. In addition, the festival offered recorded cooking sessions, as well as story-telling, sports and fitness activities.
The challenging month-long Bahrain Summer Festival’s audience had the pleasure of guided virtual tours by the most loving festival’s characters, “Nakhool & Nakhoolah”, exploring magic histoical sites and many cultural venues, such as Bahfrain National Museum, Qala’at al Bahrain Site Musem, Bu Maher Fort, Pearling Path Visitor’s Center and Manama Post Museum.
