KUWAIT: The 16th Hala February Festival in 2015 will take place from Jan 8 to Feb 6 with humanitarian work as its motto to mark the honoring of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah by the United Nations. This was announced during a press conference by the festival’s higher committee organization yesterday in the presence of representatives of government agencies such as the ministry of interior and the fire department and sponsoring companies.
“We decided this year to choose humanitarian work to be the motto of the festival to emphasize the prominent humanitarian role of Kuwait, which began with independence and the foundation of the Kuwait Fund for Development to stretch the hands of Kuwait to the whole world without discrimination or sectarianism,” the general coordinator of Hala Feb 2015 Walid Mohammed Jassim said.
“The Hala February festival this year features many distinctive events that have been carefully selected from the marketing, tourism and the economic aspects to contribute to the revitalization of the economy,” he said, pointing out that the opening carnival will be held on Jan 16 on the Arabian Gulf Street next to the Kuwait Towers this year instead of Salem Al-Mubarak Street in Salmiya.
“The festival will include events like a walkathon from the Marina Crescent to Green Island on Saturday, February 7 from 9 am to 3 pm. The aim is to raise awareness about mental illnesses and the need to change the negative image related to mental illness in an innovative way. There will be five stops to take a break after every kilometer. Booths will have doctors or psychologists to explain the diseases to the public and distribute brochures about the diseases. Also, the Kuwait Chess Championship will be held from January 26 to February 7,” Jassim said.
Main sponsor
He pointed out that the Gate Mall will be the main sponsor of the festival for the first time, adding that cars will be given away in raffle draws and 100 prizes will be distributed daily under the supervision of the ministry of commerce and industry. The chief of the concerts committee of the Hala February Festival 2015 Abdullah Al-Quud said 4 concerts will be held with singers Majida Al-Roumi, Nabil Shuail, Shamma Hamdan, Tamer Hosni, Fayez Al-Saeed, Shirin, Ebadi Al-Johar, Fahad Al-Qubaisi, Nancy Ajram and Mohammed Assaf.
Executive director of relations and communications at Zain Telecom Walid Khashti confirmed that the company is keen to participate in the festival as part of the social responsibility of the company, pointing out that the company is seeking to participate in the festival every year through the exchange of experiences and work as a team for a long relationship between Zain and Hala February. “Zain has many events in parks and public places as part of our commitment to contribute to the support of activities, tourism and the Kuwaiti economy as part of the duty of the company’s presence in all national events,” Khashti said.
Every year Kuwait celebrates the Hala February Festival that was first launched in 1997 to rejuvenate tourism in Kuwait and positively influence the Kuwaiti economy. The Hala Feb festival features cultural activities such as parades and entertainment events, and is a boon for shoppers with shopping carnivals offering discounts.
By Faten Omar
