@emirateslitfest Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Children’s Programme bigger than ever!

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Children’s Programme bigger than ever!

The children’s programme of the sixth Emirates Airline Festival of Literature promises a diverse and exciting roster of events including free sessions during the two Education Days, author visits to schools, fringe events and a host of workshops tailored to children.

The Education Days have been a mainstay of the Festival since its inception in 2009, bringing students and authors together in a bid to foster a love of reading. Over the course of two days, Nasser Al Jaberi, Maysoon Barber, Charles Arthur Charlie Higson, LiTTLe MACHiNe, Sarah McIntyre, Philip Reeve, Francesca Simon and Mona Tayim will entertain and enlighten young minds with stories, characters and more.

Also participating in Education Day is Scottish playwright Lynsey Murdoch’s Little Pink Foot Productions who will be performing Hamish’s Healthy Nutrition Mission, an interactive theatrical experience that will take young children through the workings of the human body.

“Our aim has always been to promote literacy and education among children in the UAE and the Education Days are a great way to do that. Not only are the Education Days a fun day out for the children, but meeting authors face-to-face gives them impetus to start embracing reading and writing,” said Yvette Judge, Acting Festival Director and Head of Children’s Programming.

“The Festival this year has a brilliant line-up of children’s authors. We have a great mix of international heavyweights and local talent who will be talking about their work, their characters and the stories that inspire them. We also have a number of workshops for children, sponsored by Costa Coffee, on everything from writing and drawing to learning Arabic,” she continued.

The 2014 children’s programme features authors Maitha Al Khayat, Fadwa Al Qasem, John Boyne, John Burningham, Taghred Chandab, Eoin Colfer, Vivian French, Sally Gardner, Charlie Higson, Julia Johnson, Saniyasnain Khan, Sarah McIntyre, Helen Oxenbury, Samar Mahfouz Barraj, Sahar Naja Mahfouz, Philip Reeve, Tony Ross, Francesca Simon, Nadine Touma and Zep.

Apart from Education Day and the children’s sessions, the Festival also has the Penguin Fringe, which includes performances by schools around the UAE, as well as the Penguin Reading Garden, where students and teachers read stories and perform poetry to rapt audiences.

The TimeOut Kids’ Zone includes a variety of events that children will enjoy including Story Time with the Old Library and Growl Media, Dubai Drums, and Chinese Calligraphy with Lucy Chuang. Booking is not required but it is best to get to there early as places are limited.

The Penguin Fringe Art showcases works by local school children and will be displayed in the Atrium of Festival City Mall. These events are non-ticketed and open to everyone.

The Festival will take place in Dubai from 4 to 8 March under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and in partnership with Emirates and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage. The Festival is now part of the Emirates Literature Foundation, which was established last year by Royal decree.

Tickets for the Festival are available on-line at emirateslitfest.com and also at Festival Bookseller WHSmith’s selected outlets in Dubai Mall (lower-ground floor), Oasis Centre Mall, Marina Mall and Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi. Ticket prices start at AED45 and there are also many events and activities on offer free of charge.

For more details of the Festival please visit www.emirateslitfest.com. Join us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/emirateslitfest), Twitter (www.twitter.com/emirateslitfest), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EmiratesLitFest) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/EmiratesLitFest) for competitions and more updates.