Marbella, 2^st August 2016: Last weekend the Antonio Banderas Plaza became the stage for the celebration of the ´Festival Kuwait-Spain in Marbella. It featured a demonstration of a journey through cultures that delighted the likes of hundreds of multi-national attendees, who came to observe numerous performances and traditional products from both countries.

This festival was totally free and open to people of all religions and cultures and was aimed at bringing Kuwait and the city closer together. Abrar Al Masoud the organiser of the event made this clear that this was her objective from the start and also commented: “This idea was born because of my love for this country, in particular Marbella, where I have many fond childhood memories that I will treasure for many years. I hope this event sheds some light on the relationship between Spain and Kuwait in relation to the economy, politics, culture, art and tourism amongst others. Therefore creating a way to extend links between both countries and that everyone may have the chance to learn about the culture of Kuwait”.

The festival started and opened last Friday 29^th July with a very special appearance from Mesheal Abdelmohsen Alsaed, the Vice-Ambassador of the Kuwait Embassy as well as José Bernal, the mayor of Marbella and Javier Porcuna the Tourism Councillor and Deputy Mayor. A token of appreciation and recognition was given to Marbella Council, the Kuwait Ambassador and the entrepreneur Ernesto Gutiérrez for their “undivided support and collaboration”, in the form of small trophy in the shape of a boat inscribed with the insignia of a representative of Kuwait. Furthermore, on the Saturday you could´ve seen the Kuwaiti marriage simulation, which was the most talked about spectacle of the weekend.

On all 3 days of the festival, numerous diverse flamenco groups and Kuwaiti danza performances took place. Amongst them, one must highlight the various municipal dance schools that performed: Marta Álvarez, Sandra Vázquez, Loli Ropero, Karina Parra, Eli García y las Hermanas Maldonado. With respect to Kuwait, a traditional Kuwait music group performed as well as the music fusion group with Eimar and a dance spectacle from Sonia Al Andalus. The Spanish agencies and businesses that had their own stand at the festival were very satisfied with not just the sales but also the promotion they gained over the weekend.

To conclude, the Festival Kuwait-Spain ended its first edition with an exemplary recognition and participation, especially from the Kuwait and Arabic public who in general showed a huge amount of interest and enthusiasm through-out the weekend.

La entrada The Festival Kuwait-Spain in Marbella ends its first edition with great public welcome and participation se publicó primero en MN Comunicación.

Marbella, 25th July 2016: this morning marks the official presentation for the Festival Kuwait-Spain that takes places on 29, 30 and 31^st July at the Antonio Banderas Plaza in Puerto Banús and will last from early evening till midnight.

This totally free event is open to people of all religions and cultures, with the aim to fortify relations between Spain and Kuwait. Through-out the three days, the focus will be to celebrate the relationship between these two countries. Moreover the stalls on display will allow you to learn about the art, culture and tourism that form the identity of both these nations.

With support from the Third Secretary, Head of the Kuwait Ambassador Office in Málaga, Mohammad Amér Al Hajeri, the CEO and organiser of the event, Abrar Faisal Al Masoud and as representatives from the Marbella Council, the Deputy Mayor and Tourism Councillor, Javier Porcuna, and the Head of Tourism, Miguel Luna the press release reported:

“This idea was born because of my love for this country, in particular Marbella, where I have many fond childhood memories that I will treasure for many years. I hope this event sheds some light on the relationship between Spain and Kuwait in relation to the economy, politics, culture, art and tourism amongst others. Therefore creating a way to extend links between both countries and that everyone may have the chance to learn about the culture of Kuwait”, stated Al Masoud. Abrar was insistent on using this opportunity to thank the municipality and the embassy in their cooperation in inviting everyone to attend this cultural event. As a Future Group initiative, their director described this event as, “a gift we want to give to Spain y Kuwait”, to which she then added, “next year we hope to put on a bigger festival, only this time with all the countries from the Arabian Gulf”.

The Third Secretary, Head of the Kuwait Ambassador in Málaga Mohammad Amér Al Hajeri confirmed that, “The Kuwait embassy will strive to support tourism between the two countries by means of establishing a service aimed at satisfying the interests and desires of the Kuwait citizens in the Malaga province and the south of Spain.” He believes that, “Spain is considered as one of the most popular destinations for the people of Kuwait” because not only does the number of Kuwaiti visitors increase each year, but also from the high number of residential properties they have in Spain. Al Hajeri explained that this festival will be part of the framework of events organised by the Embassy to promote tourism activities. He wanted to emphasize that the institution “has concentrated to maximise” all efforts towards helping the activities achieve the greatest success.

With regard to the Deputy Mayor and Tourism Councillor, Javier Porcuna and the Head of Tourism, Miguel Luna, they both wanted to give their most sincere gratitude for this initiative that will reinforce the “long and close existing relationship between Marbella and Kuwait.” To host an event of this scale in the city is “a pleasure and an honour”, which the Head of Tourism and Marbella council have promised to invest all their efforts.

The festival commences next Friday 29th July at 8pm with a special guest appearance from the Vice Ambassador of the Kuwait Embassy, Mesheal Abdelmohsen Alsaed as well as the Mayor of Marbella, José Bernal. Over the course of the festival, there will be flamenco and Kuwait danza performances, whose participation and collaboration “has been gratuitous” and will undoubtedly entertain the attendees. What´s more small vendors from both countries will have different stands on display through-out the three days. These will include artisan crafts, typical Kuwaiti clothing and food as well as traditional and cultural pieces of art. In addition there will also be a similar Spanish area to the event that will represent the solidarity between both nations. This event is open to people of all nationalities during the 29, 30 and 31^st July, held at the Antonio Banderas Plaza from 7pm till midnight. 

As a sign of gratitude and recognition to Marbella Council, the Mayor and the Ambassador, a small award will be given for all their hard work over the course of the festival. 

La entrada Press Conference for the presentation of the Festival Kuwait-Spain in Marbella se publicó primero en MN Comunicación.