New Updates on Bahrain International Airshow Attractions

His Excellency Ahmed Ali Al-Nemah, the Ministry of Transportation’s Acting Undersecretary of Civil Aviation Affairs released details on this year’s Bahrain International Airshow line-up of activities which will take place from January 16 to 18 at the Sakhir Airbase. The public attractions will include up to four hours of spectacular flying displays, featuring modern and historic commercial and military aircraft and a range of aerobatic display teams.

There will be grandstand seating, providing the best location and most comfort for ticket-holders to view the displays from. Tickets are available from all Batelco outlets, and offer great value for money, priced at only BD 3 for children under 16 and BD 7 for adults.

Some of the confirmed attractions include UAE’s Al Fursan Aerobatic Team, the Hawks from Saudi Arabia, the Breitling Wingwalkers, the SWIP Twister display team with their amazing night-time display, and the Red Devils parachute display team. The aircraft that will be making an appearance include a UAE Mirage 2000, a UAE F16, a DHL 757 carrier and a Gulf Air A330, alongside an historic Spitfire.

There will also be a wide variety of on-the-ground attractions and activities for the whole family in the newly expanded public area, which is forty per cent larger than before with improved facilities including restrooms and prayer rooms, and increased capacity for visitors. Around twenty different kiosks housing restaurants and companies or associations will be present, including new Bahraini cuisine restaurant AlBadgeer, the Parachuting Club and the Coral Diving Center. Alongside this, the Heritage Village, developed in coordination with the Ministry of Social Development, will feature handicrafts made by local productive families. Other Ministries taking part are the Ministry of Culture, who will be arranging activities to promote Bahraini culture to visitors, the Information Affairs Authority, and the Royal Charity Organisation.

A host of other attractions will be available including a retail area, face-painting and henna tattoo artists, stilt-walkers, giant inflatable slides and bouncy castles, as well as the world’s leading 3D street artists. The highly popular vertical wind-tunnel experience will also be returning, allowing visitors to experience open-air flying, above a safety net in tandem with instructors.

Live musical entertainment will also be featured, starting with a children’s band alongside games and prizes in the mornings. In the evenings, local act Salsa Cubana will be entertaining the crowd, accompanied by professional salsa dancers, and DJ Outlaw will also be on stage.

From an educational perspective, the UK’s National Space Centre is bringing over an interactive Space Zone exhibit, which will include a planetarium featuring a 360-degree full dome cinema experience showcasing inter-stellar movies. Live musical entertainment will also be featured, starting with a children’s band alongside games and prizes.

Mad Science Bahrain will also set up an interactive and engaging Activity Centre, which will transport visitors into a world of fun. Mad Science will operate Fun Stations, Live Shows, Giant interactive Games and other activities for all children and adults alike to enjoy.