Exciting New Activities at This Year’s Mother of The Nation Festival

Abu Dhabi, UAE – 26 March 2018: The annual Mother of the National Festival is in full swing, offering families and visitors of all ages a host of activities, food, fun and adventure. Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the third edition of one of the UAE’s landmark events is now taking place at the Abu Dhabi Corniche and features several brand-new activities for families to enjoy until Saturday, 31^st March 2018.

Mother of the Nation Festival presents several new signature entertainment activities this year, including the Xtreme Show, featuring skaters, skateboarders, BMX cyclists; Dancing Fire, a thrilling fire show on the water; and MOTN Cypher, an entertaining hip-hop collaboration with rappers, DJs and beatboxers. In addition to the previously announced performances and dining facilities, the festival will include brand-new activities this year in the different zones.

Happiness Zone: Inspired by HH Sheikha Fatima’s commitment to fostering future generations through initiatives in which they may learn and grow, this zone is filled with interactive and exciting activities such as:

Aqua Fun – Featuring a massive inflatable obstacle course built on the water, containing ramps, towers, bridges and slides in a multi-level circuit designed to provide maximum bouncy enjoyment! Lifeguards stand on duty to guide children and keep them safe as they dash, bounce and tumble their way along the course.

Video Graffiti – Grab a digital spray can and unleash your creativity at the Video Graffiti station. Express yourself on a massive digital canvas, using a range of colours, shapes and pens. Through innovative kinetic technology, this activity gives visitors an opportunity to paint with video projections.

Junior Adventure Tour in the Wonder Garden – A colourful and fun-filled jeep track for young explorers, Junior Adventure Tour is a brand-new addition to the Wonder Garden experience. Giving little ones an exhilarating opportunity to drive their own land rovers, this easy track will be surrounded by brightly coloured tyres and unique décor pieces.

Progress Zone: Dig your hands in the soil, follow a seed on its journey to becoming part of a wholesome meal, or drop from the sky on a bungee line. Enter the Progress Zone to connect with the rest of humankind and imagine an incredible future together:

AZLAD – World of Food Pavilion – Set in a large, natural space, this unique first-of-its- kind exhibition in content and design brings us face-to- face with the realities of the food production process today. It shows how the traditional, low waste methods practiced by our ancestors, in sync with the environment, have given way to the current mass-production. This exhibition promises an enjoyable and thought-provoking discovery of food.

Air Dive – Climb up the iconic tower at the heart of the Progress Zone, and then free-fall from the platform. Experience the swooping sensation of hurtling faster and faster towards the ground, with nothing but a bungee rope securing you. A combination of gravity and giant fans create extra friction to give you the buzz of a lifetime.

VR Artscape – Step inside one of six different fantasy locations at the VR Artscape dome in the Progress Zone and create 3D art all around you, using Virtual Reality technology. At the heart of each VR art studio is a custom version of the revolutionary “Tilt Brush” system developed by Google. The expanded version at the Festival allows for enhanced environments, so you have endless possibilities to sculpt, draw and paint your imagination on a multi-dimensional canvas. This hypnotic and immersive space is a must-visit for anyone interested in art, technology and creativity.

The festival is also bringing back a couple of old favorites including:

Majlis: Interactive Talks: A platform of talks, presentations, workshops and discussions connecting the values of women empowerment, tolerance, creativity, happiness, family values, and more. Today’s speaker is record-breaking British adventurer, author, leadership coach, documentary presenter and activist, Adrian Hayes, who will be sharing life lessons on how to face tough challenges.

Nature Quest – Spend hours on end in the Experience Nature treehouse area. Climb a rope wall to get to a treehouse, cross bridges to visit friends in other forts, then slide back down together, before starting all over again! This maze of elevated platforms also features canopies to take shade and swap stories under.

Glowing Flowers – Using simple materials including card, an electric circuit and an LED light, you’ll craft your glowing flower and discover some essential functions of geometry by creating patterns along the way. It’s a chance to take a break from the hectic festival activity and focus in on a making a decorative work of art by hand.

Seed & Plant – Discover the secrets of growing your own food, at Seed & Plant. This spacious greenhouse welcomes families to plant seeds, paint pots, and harvest nutritious produce.

Draft & Craft – This exciting station includes activities such as kite making, discovering the secrets of undersea coral life, and painting pebbles.

The festival opens its doors daily from Sundays to Thursdays from 4pm until midnight, and on weekends from 2pm until midnight. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the festival entrance for AED 25 per adult and AED 15 for children under 12, while children aged 5 and under along with people of determination and elderly above 60 are admitted for free. Please visit www.motn.ae for more details and the full schedule of concerts and performances.