The Festival at Masdar City brings fun and games to sustainability for fourth consecutive year

The Festival at Masdar City, part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), returns for the fourth straight year from January 20-21. The two-day fair is an opportunity for UAE residents and visitors to spend a fun educational weekend at one of the world’s most sustainable cities. 

Launched in 2014, the Festival aims to engage the local community in renewable energy and sustainability. Interactive zones within Masdar City highlight different aspects of sustainable living. There are family workshops, games and live entertainment – and stalls selling food, handicrafts and a host of sustainability themed souvenirs. 

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany, Executive Director of Sustainability & Brand at Masdar City, said: “Sustainability starts with the simple changes each of us can make in our everyday lives, like saving power and water at home. And as The Festival at Masdar City highlights every year, it can be fun! 

“Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week isn’t only about high-level policy discussions and business deals – it’s also about raising awareness of the importance of sustainable development and encouraging people to adopt more sustainable behaviour,” added Dr Al-Hosany. “The Festival at Masdar City has been a very successful awareness platform and is now an established part of the family entertainment calendar in Abu Dhabi.”

The Festival activities will be divided into 10 different zones reflecting the 10th anniversary of Masdar last year and this year’s World Future Energy Summit, the anchor event of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Activities include: 

1. Greenhouse gardening station
2. Hands-on crafts
3. Arcade games
4. Carnival activities
5. Old-fashioned bazaar
6. Life performances
7. Recycled art gallery
8. Hands-on experiments
9. Reading and storytelling 
10. Interactive live music 

This year’s Festival also marks the launch of Masdar Park, an outdoor shopping and dining destination with outlets housed inside recycled shipping containers powered by solar panels. Open until April, the Park also features a recycled musical instrument wall and a bicycle-powered cinema. 

“Held in the open air at the best time of year, The Festival at Masdar City is a wonderful opportunity to wind down after another hectic Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week,” said Dr Al-Hosany. “We’re looking forward to welcoming hundreds of families to Masdar City again this year.”

The Festival at Masdar City is open free-of-charge for visitors from 10:00am to 10:00pm on Friday, January 20, and from 10:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday, January 21. 

For more information on the Festival at Masdar City, please Masdar’s Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1223915097730051. 

About Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
The annual Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), hosted by Masdar, is an Abu Dhabi government initiative that aims to address the interconnected challenges of clean energy, water and sustainable development. Anchored by the World Future Energy Summit, ADSW features a series of complementary conferences, exhibitions and events, including the general assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency, the Award Ceremony of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, the International Water Summit, EcoWASTE and The Festival@Masdar City. ADSW is the largest gathering on sustainability in the Middle East, attracting global policy makers, industry thought-leaders and clean-tech innovators among more than 35,000 attendees representing around 170 countries. 

About Masdar
Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company which works to advance the development, commercialisation and deployment of clean energy technologies and solutions. The company serves as a link between today’s fossil fuel economy and the energy economy of the future. Wholly owned by the Mubadala Development Company PJSC, the strategic investment company of the Government of Abu Dhabi, Masdar is dedicated to the United Arab Emirates’ long-term vision for the future of energy and water. 

Contacts:
E-mail: press@masdar.ae
Tel enquiries in Arabic: +971 2 653 3333
Tel enquiries in English: +971 2 653 6014
For more information please visit: http://www.masdar.ae and connect: facebook.com/masdar.ae and twitter.com/masdar