The festival included a comprehensive programme for children, reinforcing a read for pleasure mindset that we in the west, and especially in the UK and US, seem to have lost sight of, as witness the disturbing fall in the number of kids that read for pleasure both sides of the Atlantic.


The fifth edition of the Al Dhafra Book Festival 2024, organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), concluded with notable success at Madinat Zayed Park. The festival attracted around 44,000 visitors, marking a 15% increase from the previous year.

This year’s festival was organised in collaboration with the Al Dhafra Region Municipality – Department of Municipalities and Transport, Lynador as a technical partner, and other local organisations as programme partners.

Participation and Growth

The festival, themed ‘Celebrating a Cultural Legacy,’ showcased 50,000 titles from 100 local and Arab publishing houses. The number of participating publishing houses doubled compared to last year, reflecting the festival’s growing prominence.

Over seven days, the festival offered 200 cultural, artistic, musical, and entertainment events for both adults and children. Per reports, roaming entertainers enhanced the vibrant atmosphere, creating a dynamic, carnival-like experience.

Purists will say that’s all a distraction for booklovers, but the reality is this brings in crowds and helps associate reading with fun, a theme sorely lacking in many book fairs around the world, so no complaints from me!

New Events and Features

The festival introduced four new events, including:

‘Hadirat Baynounah’: An authentic heritage scene with storytellers and Arabic coffee.

‘Flavourful Nights’: Live cooking sessions with professional chefs.

‘Youth League’: Sports competitions for young people.

‘Musical Programme’: Performances culminating in a grand concert by the ‘Arab Choir’.

Again, purists may rail against such hedonism, but associating reading and pleasure is key to our industry’s survival.

Poetry and Awards

The festival continued the ‘Poetry Nights: Voices Loved by People’ programme in a new format titled ‘The Poem Secret’, featuring renowned poets. The historic Al Dhafra Fort hosted the award ceremony for the Sard Al Thahab Award 2024, honouring narrators of biographies, literature, and folk narratives.

Children’s Programme

The festival included a comprehensive programme for children and youth, with interactive activities such as doll making, pottery painting, and traditional crafts, fostering cognitive development and skill-building, again reinforcing a read for pleasure mindset that we in the west, and especially in the UK and US, seem to have lost sight of, as witness the disturbing fall in the number of kids that read for pleasure both sides of the Atlantic.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.