Abu Dhabi’s government was keen to maximise interest and pride in the Qasr al Hosn fort, its oldest and most iconic building. A festival in a large area round the fort was developed to appeal to local Emiratis and ex-pats. Seen as a gateway attraction for the city’s heritage, visitors were encouraged to visit linked attractions, such as the fort itself, seminars, exhibitions and theatrical performances with a suite of interpretation that demonstrated what was unique about the city’s culture and presented it in a fresh and exciting way. Working with WRG we created activity plans, research, content, storylines and scripts for a 10-day festival.
The interpretation plan focused on offering new ways to showcase the city’s heritage, and by doing so, drawing the visitors across the site. Large-scale projections of historic footage acted as attractors and a number of QR trails drew visitors across the site. The event drew huge crowds of local people, with a high proportion downloading the QR mobile app and visiting craft demonstrations.
We researched and created all digital content and researched and planned live demonstrations and activities.
Returning for the Festival’s second year, we developed storylines, research and content strategy for a refocused narrative approach, alongside an activity plan for 10-day festival, including educational outreach and curriculum tailored workshops across the festival, as well as teacher’s packs and educational packs for school children (working to the UK curriculum). We also wrote scripts for print, signage and live interpretation.