Sharjah - Arab Today
The 2015 annual Superheroes Festival concluded on 21 November after three fun-filled days attended by scores of super fans. Over the course of the festival, children and adults alike flocked to Al Majaz Waterfront to enjoy the abundance of superhero themed films, workshops and performances on offer.
The festival, which was developed in partnership with Sharjah based organisation FUNN, showcased a mind-boggling array of blockbuster films such as 'Pixels' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy', which were free for attendees to enjoy. Queues for the films were mirrored by those for the free workshops, with kids and adults getting in line to take part in the various activities happening throughout the day. Some of the workshops offered were armour creation, how to draw superhero faces and how to create a superhero symbol.The Bag Jump was also incredibly popular; the brave visitors who elected to participate enjoyed a jump from a platform ranging from 3 metres to 18 metres high.
One of the biggest draw cards throughout the festival was the incredible Transformers Show hosted on the main stage. The live entertainment show saw the film's beloved robot characters coming to life before the attendees’ very eyes. The magic of that experience was amplified by the extensive range of additional activities available, including meet and greets with the visitors’ favourite Transformer characters and a host of themed games in the Transformers Zone. Offering everything from video games to live action role-playing, the Transformers Zone really was the ultimate experience for any Transformers fan!
There were also prize draws and pop quizzes programmed regularly throughout the festival. The unprecedented number of visitors over the three days meant that the number of prize draws originally scheduledwas increased substantially, with one taking place almost every hour. The winner of each prize draw was gifted with a valuable piece of comic-related paraphernalia. In addition, at the end of each day, one lucky grand-prize winner was announced and they received a generous cash award from the festival organisers.
Reflecting on the success of the festival, Al Majaz Waterfront Manager Mohammed Fadhil Al Mazroui, said: "We all love superhero films and there is something truly magical about seeing those characters from the films come to life in different forms. Exercising the imagination is so important and I think anyone attended this festival would have been hard-pressed not to find their imaginations sizzling with inspiration surrounded by all that superhero fun and excitement."
Sheikha Jawaher bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, Director of FUNN, added, “FUNN was set up to promote media arts for and among children and youth in the UAE and this year's Superhero Festival offered those opportunities in spades. Everything from the phenomenal Transformers show through to the fantastic films on offer showcased the very best in media arts catered towards youth. The festival did exactly what we hoped it would - it showed the attendees the limitless possibilities of the imagination."