(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- Muscat Municipality committee has started preparing for the 18th edition of the Muscat Festival which will be celebrating 20 years of its inception next year.

Khalid bin Mohammed bin Omar Bahram, assistant chairman of Muscat Municipality for Services Affairs and Assistant Chairman of the Muscat Organizing Committee, said, 'We will be celebrating 20 years of the beginning of the Muscat Festival. It was started in 1998 at the Qurum Natural Park.' Bahram thanked the efforts of the Muscat Municipality and its partners who cooperated during his career to establish a public base for this annual event.

He also underlined how the festival over the years has maintained excellence and diversity. He added that the 2018 Muscat Festival coincides with the mid-year vacation for schools, colleges and universities studentsand so it is an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful season in different locations. Bahram pointed out that the organising committee of the festival has made great efforts to prepare for this edition by developing perceptions, studying proposals, selecting programmes carefully.

The Muscat Festival organises its activities at two main sites: Amerat Park and Naseem Gardens. Other venues include the Oman Automobile Association. A number of cultural halls and clubs too host the festival activities. He pointed out that the next edition will see a number of special events, notably the 2018 Oman Bride Show and its accompanying fashion shows, which will be held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.

A number of concerts too will be held at Al Madinah Theatre in Qurum Natural Park. The festival this year too will offer a range of cultural events such as literary and poetry evenings which will be held in coordination with a number of stakeholders such as Omani Society for Writers and Literati, Cultural Club, Omani Journalist Association, Omani Society for Fine Arts, Photographic Society of Oman and the Oman Film Society.

The festival begins on January 18 and will last for 24 days. It will be followed by Tour of Oman for six days from February 13.

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