Abu dhabi: The Discover Abu Dhabi Festival opened today at Manezhnaya Square in Moscow, running through 23rd August to showcase the culture, heritage, and hospitality of the UAE capital.

According to Emirates News Agency, the event is organized by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi and the UAE Embassy in the Russian Federation. It is held as part of the Moscow Mayor's "Summer in Moscow" programme, with support from the Government of Moscow. The five-day festival is free to the public and offers a variety of attractions, including live performances, traditional craft demonstrations, authentic Emirati cuisine, and interactive workshops.

Visitors to the festival can enjoy traditional music ensembles as well as performances of Al-Ayyala and Al Harbiya, with Al-Ayyala being inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The event also features several dedicated pavilions that highlight the UAE's rich traditions. The House of Artisans showcases traditional crafts such as Talli embroidery, Khos palm-leaf weaving, Sadu weaving, and pottery. It includes live workshops conducted by skilled artisans.

Bait Al Gahwa offers demonstrations of the traditional preparation and serving of Arabic coffee, as practiced in the Emirati majlis. The Maritime Pavilion presents Abu Dhabi's seafaring history through live demonstrations of rope-making, pearl-diving equipment, fishing net crafting, and Gargoor fish-trap making. An interactive dome provides 360-degree visual projections of Abu Dhabi's landmarks, cultural sites, and natural landscapes, offering visitors an immersive experience.

In addition to cultural exhibits, the festival includes retail spaces where visitors can purchase traditional Emirati souvenirs, handcrafted goods, and perfumes. There are also stalls serving regional dishes. The festival operates daily from 10:00 to 21:00 at Manezhnaya Square.