For its second year, the “Beirut Cultural Festivals & Municipality of Beirut” took place from June 28 till July 5, 2017 in one of Beirut’s most renowned historical sites, the Beirut Hippodrome, which represents a melting pot for Beirutis and Lebanese alike and embodies Lebanon’s great will to continually rise from the ashes. The festivals’ program revolved around two Lebanese masterpieces, conceived, designed and executed by a pool of talented Lebanese professionals. The festivals triggered a “talk-of-the-town” buzz, especially that the two shows majorly relied on screen projections, and it wasn’t any screen: a specialized local team had designed and built a one-of-a-kind screen named by the Guinness World Records’ representative on ground as the Biggest Stereoscopic 3D Screen in the world, with a surface of 2,446 sqm and breaking the world record previously held by China with their 1,580.9 sqm screen.
“A Journey Through Time”
Over 5 nights, more than ten thousand people rushed to see Beirut’s story unveiling in front of their eyes on the giant screen in a truly mesmerizing spectacle. They came to see “the mighty Beirut; the city with the mighty history, the mighty people and the mighty will to withstand the toughest circumstances and rise again and again”, as stated by Mrs. Lama Tammam Salam, President of the Beirut Cultural Festivals’ Association.
“A Journey Through Time” ran from June 28 till July 2, and took us through Beirut’s history through the eyes of a Lebanese emigrant who, upon his late grandfather’s will, is visiting his mother country for the first time. The journey starts in a plane that’s flying over Beirut, while the Lebanese-rooted visitor gradually discovers the city’s centuries-old wonders, the good and bad times, and the many historical stages Beirut has been through. A truly impressive spectacle that combined 3D projections with more than 100 on-stage performers, from dancers to singers and orchestra musicians, all created and directed by its. Communications Creative Partner, Daniel Georr. The masterpiece also featured new music by famed composer Guy Manoukian, a genius script written and narrated by the talented actor Georges Khabbaz, and a stunning visual show by 3D Mapping Factory headed by Emile Adaimy and his team. Furthermore, around 100 other artists participated to this grand scale production.
The opening show was held under the higher patronage of the President of the Lebanese Republic General Michel Aoun, who was represented at the event by the first lady Mrs. Nadia Aoun. The Speaker of the Parliament Mr. Nabih Berri and the Prime Minister Mr. Saad Hariri were both represented by the Minister of Culture Dr. Ghattas Khoury. The event was attended by two former Lebanese Prime Ministers, Mr. Tammam Salam and Mr. Fouad Siniora in addition to a prestigious crowd of politicians, diplomats and ambassadors. On the following days, the attendance was high and still counting more politicians and diplomats, leading to the closing show which was attended by Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the Minister of Interior & Municipalities Mr. Nohad Machnouk. At the end of the show, PM Hariri and Mrs. Salam came up on stage with the entire team and its. Communications CEO Mr. Waddah Sadek, who organized the event. They were all presented with the well-deserved Guinness World Records’ certificate by Mr. Ezzat Kraytem, the Secretary General of the Beirut Cultural Festivals’ Association.
“Alwan Beirut”
On July 3 and 4, the festivals featured “Alwan Beirut” (the Colors of Beirut), the biggest animated Lebanese film ever. Through this show, children learned about Lebanon’s different regions, accents, habits and rich nature. Created and directed by Emile Adaimy, owner of Adaimy Studios, the show offered an inspiring edutainment experience to children of all ages, taking them on a fun, emotionally-packed and humorous educational journey. The film script was written by Adaimy in collaboration with Laura Khabbaz who wrote the lyrics to more than 10 songs, while composer Karim Khnayser handled the tunes and excelled at creating a musical masterpiece that accompanied the spectacle from beginning to end. “Alwan Beirut” tells the story of Mim, a small jar saddened by the state Beirut is in, having lost all its colors due to pollution and negligence. Encouraged by Nejmeh, Mim decided to bring the colors back to Beirut and goes from one Lebanese region to another, each represented by a folkloric character symbolizing that specific region and inspired by its habits, traditions and linguistic jargon. On July 4, the show was attended by the daughters of President Michel Aoun, Mrs. Claudine Roukoz and Mrs. Chantal Bassil, along with their children. At the end of the show, which also marked the closing of the festivals, Roukoz and Bassil took the stage with their children and the President of the Beirut Cultural Festival’s Association, Mrs. Lama Salam, and a large group of joyful kids.
Football Stars: Holà Barcelona
On July 4, children attending the second show of “Alwan Beirut” were in for a surprise: they got the chance to meet international football stars and Barcelona players Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piqué and Jordi Alba who partook in the Lebanese football star Reda Antar’s retirement match. The 3 football players went on stage before the show to greet the crowd, making a dream come true to so many fans. The Barcelona trio also signed shirts and 3 pairs of soccer shoes that they tossed to the young crowd with children amusingly competing to catch them.
The Funtastic Village… and a Basketball Championship
Concurrently with the two main screen projections, “the Beirut Cultural Festivals & the Municipality of Beirut” hosted the “Funtastic Village”, a fun area of over 50,000 sqm at the Beirut Hippodrome, featuring a variety of arts, entertainment, and sports activities for the young and old, as well as a food court. The area gave the visitors a break from their hectic daily life by offering them joyful family activities and games in a beautiful natural setting, including: inflatables, skateboard, paintball, remote control cars, and mini golf fields, wall climbing, a small farm for pets, and a classic car show. Moreover, the festivals featured major sports activities on the 4th and 5th of July as they hosted the final qualification games of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Prague Masters, noting that the winning team will represent Beirut and Lebanon during the basketball championship in Prague. The matches were organized by Y9Sports Group under the supervision of the Lebanese Basketball League.
All in all, the festivals created 8 days of magic and wonders to all who had the chance to witness it. One thing’s for sure: we can’t wait till next year.