June 14, 2016
11th Spring of Culture
Running from February to April, the 11th Spring of Culture marked a season-long celebration of arts and culture. Visitors and residents of Bahrain were enthralled by over 50 events that featured performances from over 20 countries.
This year’s highlights included Grammy-award winning jazz sensation Gregory Porter who delivered a mesmerizing performance at the historical 15th century Arad Fort. His powerful vocals were perfectly paired with a four-piece band, allowing fans to immerse themselves in Porter’s unique brand of soul.
The historical 15th century Arad Fort was also host to prolific Arab singer Kadim Al Sahir, who captivated audiences with his sweeping orchestral ballads and contemporary pop compositions. Dubbed the “Caesar of Arabic Music”, Al Sahir is one of the most internationally-acclaimed and successful artists in Arab history. His talent has seen him draw in audiences of over 100,000 – the highest recorded attendance for an Arabic performer.
Other performances included the world-renowned Beirut-based Caracalla Dance Theatre’s Kan Ya Ma Kan dance spectacle, Mexican Duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela’s electrifying anthemic rock performances, and the Pirates of the Carabina’s Total Theatre Award-winning circus show Flown.
2016 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix
The Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team secured their third consecutive win at the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Previously won by the two-time Bahrain GP winner Lewis Hamilton, it was teammate Nico Rosberg who achieved his first victory at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) – dubbed the ‘Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’.
Rosberg’s triumph came after drivers battled out 57 laps around the BIC’s floodlit track, which is regarded as being one of the longest and most exciting tracks.
Jenson Button, driver for the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 Team, described the track as being:
“… a fun track to drive on. The landscape of racing in the desert after sunset is always really special and brings a new dimension to the spectacle. Everything in Bahrain is always very slick and it’s an impressive place to be. My win there in 2009 is still a great memory and the wide track and run-off areas mean it’s a fun circuit on which to battle. “
Rosberg’s Bahraini victory was the second in a four-win streak since the start of the 2016 Formula One season – he first won the Australian Grand Prix, followed by the Bahrain, Chinese and Russian Grands Prix.
Excitement from the track spilled over into BIC’s Formula 1 Village, which hosted a weekend-long festival that featured non-stop theatrical, acrobatic and musical acts. Visitors were treated to performances from a range of genres including electronic dance music superstar duo Axwell & Ingrosso, Jamaican reggae artist Jimmy Cliff, and Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred.
Capping off the weekend of stellar performances was international dance sensation Avicii, who delivered a breath-taking audio-visual show that dazzled the crowd as they danced to chart-topping singles “Levels”, “Wake Me Up” and “Hey Brother”.
