ABU DHABI — The upcoming summer season in Abu Dhabi is packed with a range of events, with the Tourism and Cultural Authority (TCA) announcing a range of concerts, fashion shows and a comedy festival all to be hosted in the Emirate. Events include the Arab Comedy Festival, Hello Kitty Live Fashion and Friends, Fun Nation, mini shows, Bollywood in the Capital, and Shaan Live in Concert. According to the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau director, Mubarak Al Shamsi, this year's summer season will feature around 80 events and shows, while several hotels and shopping malls will also provide special offers and promotions. The TCA's slogan for 2016 is ‘Fun for All', with a range of events for tourists of all ages to enjoy during their stay in Abu Dhabi on top of the Emirate's Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World. New rides at Ferrari World and the new Dura show on Yas Island have also been launched for the 2016 summer season in the hopes of attracting more tourists. The summer season will start with a concert by Myriam Fares during Eid Al Fitr. Next up will be the Arabic Comedy Festival over two days, with Emirati commedian, Bin Baz, and the Saudi trio of Fadi Al Shehri, Ibrahim Saleh and Ibrahim Khairallah kicking off the first day of the festival. Emirati host Taim Al Falasi supported by Darine Al Bayed, Rajae Qawas and Fahad Al Butairi will feature during the second day of the festival. According to the TCA, the festival will also include a number of separate sideshows starring the Wayan Brothers, Tariq Al Ali, and Indian comedian Kapil Sharma. British illusionist Jamie Raven will also be performing during the summer in an event aimed at families. In developing the summer program, Shams said the the TCA had teamed up with major partners, including Flash Entertainment, Alchemy Project, MBC and Yak Events. Indian Independence Day also falls during the summer season, and will see a range of celebrations including concerts and other events. The 2015 summer season saw over 950,000 tourists check into Abu Dhabi hotels. The largest increase in visitor numbers came from India, with the number of Indian tourists to the Emirate increasing nearly 30 percent on 2015.
