Leisure Listing

A Mad Science Show will take place at the Bahrain Science Centre at 10.30am for children aged seven and above. It will also take place tomorrow at the same time. For more information, call 17686466 or visit www.bahrainsciencecentre.com

An open-mic comedy night hosted by Imran Al Aradi will take place at Deja Vu Restaurant from 7.30pm onwards. Entry is free. For details, call 13657770.

An art exhibition entitled Reflections by Bahraini artist Shahnaz Fayaz will take place at the World Beat Fitness Centre & Cafe. For more information, call 36673954.

Pioneer of alternative medicine, Dr Deepak Chopra, will be leading a lecture entitled The Soul of Leadership at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. For more information, call 36048699 or 39986580.

An art exhibition entitled Being in the Moment by Iraqi artist Rafa Nasiri will take place at the Bahrain Financial Harbour Fine Art Gallery until tomorrow. Part of the sales will be donated to the Bahrain Cancer Society. The gallery is open from 10am-7pm, and 3pm-7pm on Friday and Saturday.For details, call 17102600.

Al Riwaq Art Space will be holding an art exhibition by Lulwah Al Humoud entitled Ontology. The exhibition will run until Tuesday.
For details, call 17717441.

Cucina Italiana is holding a cooking class from 4pm to 5.30pm with Executive Chef Giordano Fortunato. The class costs BD10 net, which includes two dishes and a complimentary drink. If you register for six sessions it will cost BD50. For more information, call 17007317.

 A Static Electricity Show will take place at the Bahrain Science Centre at 5pm. The show is for children aged eight and above.
For more information, call 17686466 or visit www.bahrainsciencecentre.com

Grammy award-winning artist Michael Smith will perform at the Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Isa Town at 6.30pm. Tickets cost between BD5 and BD20 and are available at the National Evangelical Church, St Christopher’s Church and Nonoo Exchange outlets in Juffair, Saar and Exhibitions Avenue.

A Columbian carnival will take place at the Latin Quarter at the Pars International Hotel. For more information, call 17814777.

Ahmad Ajam, AKA DJ MaDJam, will perform at Karma Lounge in Coral Bay. Tickets cost BD10 per person.  For details, call 17312700 or 33745547.

Fashion TV Night Blue Party featuring Turkish DJ Kaan Gokman will take place at Bushido Restaurant & Lounge. Dress code is formal masquerade. Tickets cost BD10 for women and BD25 for men. VIP packages are also available.

Mikala Leigh will perform an Adele: 21 tribute show at Kicks Bar in Hotel Diva in Juffair. Tickets cost BD5 and the show starts at 9.30pm. For more information, call 39922583.

A Mangalore Property Show will take place today from 10am to 10pm at the Indian Club and again tomorrow from 10am to 8pm. The two-day event will conclude with a cultural performance by Ocean Kids, a dance troupe that reached the semi-finals of the India’s Got Talent TV show, which will be followed by dinner.  For details, call 39401279.

Kick For A Cause six-a-side football charity tournament will take place at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club. The proceeds from the event will go to the Reduce Diabetes Amongst Children Programme. For more information, call 39314350.

The Amwaj Shopping Festival will take place until tomorrow. It will feature shopping, raffle draws, exciting games and rides as well as face painting, cycling and henna art. The event will run from midday until 10pm. For more information, call 17713716.

Al Basta Market takes place every Friday from 3pm – 8pm and Saturday from 8am-8pm at the Riffa Palms in Riffa Views until May 25.

A parenting crash course entitled How to Boost Your Child’s Brain Power will take place at Cafe Ceramique in Al A’ali Shopping Complex led by Alia Almoayed, nutritional therapist and author. The workshop is from 10am to 3pm and costs BD49, which includes a food demo and a healthy lunch. For more information, call 33252854 or visit aliaalmoayed.wordpress.com/event

Bahraini author Nazli Tawfeeqi will launch her latest book My Foggy Tomorrow at Words BookstoreCafé in Budaiya at 11.30am. Nazli will also be showcasing her work at the BAB Market as part of Spring of Culture. For more information, call 17690790.

A Social media for corporate social responsibility workshop will take place at the Gulf Hotel Bahrain. The workshop aims to teach everything about social media from storytelling to successful strategies. It costs BD120. For more information, email events@SMCBahrain.org
 
An adult fitness class will take place at SPARTA, the sports and arts academy of St Christopher’s School. The class is from 8.10am to 9.10am every Monday and Wednesday until March 27. It costs BD55 for 10 sessions, BD48 for eight sessions, BD42 for six and BD8 to pay as you go. For details, call 17598475 or 39974654.

The third annual Productivity & Leadership Strategy workshop will take place at the Crowne Plaza hotel until tomorrow with keynote speaker international productivity expert Laura Stack. For more information, call 17552878.

Open House debating sessions are taking place on Monday and March 18 from 2.50pm to 4pm at St Christopher’s School in Isa Town. The debate is open to all schools and will include both junior (Years 8 and 9) and senior (Years 10-13) pupils.

The final, the Bahrain Inter-School Debating Tournament, will take place on April 12 and 13. For more information, email david.milnes@st-chris.net or call 38890446.

The Bahrain International Garden Show 2013 will take place from today until Saturday at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre. The show aims to highlight the business opportunities that exist in agriculture. Hall 2 of the centre will be dedicated to landscaping and garden design while Hall 1 will showcase a variety of goods and services relating to the subject. An awards ceremony will be held honouring exhibitors with a winner selected by a panel of experts. For more information, visit www.bigs.com.bh

The Bahrain India Society (BIS) is organising a Bollywood Masti Musical Dinner & Dance to be held tomorrow at 8pm at the Al Noor Tent at Elite Resort & Spa. There will be live entertainment from singers Diana Dias and Tarique. The evening will also feature a dance troupes from Dubai. Tickets cost BD15 per person for BIS members, BD18 for non-members. For details, call 33060602 or email admin@bahindsociety.org

A Japanese Dolls Exhibition entitled Shapes of Ritual, Embodiments of Love will take place at the Bahrain National Museum daily from 8am to 8pm in Gallery 1. Entry to the exhibition is free and will continue until Saturday. For more information, call 17298811.

A Kids Ville Colouring Activity Station can be found in Bahrain City Centre on the second floor. It will run daily from 6pm to 9pm and will feature an assortment of colouring pages as well as interactive and educational activities for children. Entry is free. For details, visit www.facebook.com/BahrainCityCentre or www.twitter.com/#!/BahrainCityCtr

THE Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) is all set to welcome back the stars of the race track with the National Racing Festival taking place this weekend at Sakhir. Part of the action will be the fourth round of the 2012/2013 Bahrain Drag Racing Championship tonight, Thursday and Friday, along with round six of the 2012/2013 BIC 2,000cc Challenge on Friday.

The weekend’s events are being organised by the BIC, the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Bahrain Drag Racing Club and the Circuit Racing Club. All motorsport fans are welcome to attend and tickets will be available at the gate.

Round four of the Bahrain Drag Racing Championship will start tonight with a Test and Tune session beginning at 6pm. It will be followed on Thursday by qualifying, also at 6pm.
Race Day will be on Friday and it is scheduled to begin at 5pm.

Drivers from countries all across the region are expected to join the action on the quarter-mile strip alongside Bahrain’s finest. Tickets to the drag racing cost BD5 per person for adults for seating at the Start Line Grandstand, and BD3 for seats at the Batelco Grandstand. Tickets for children aged 15 and below are half price.

Meanwhile, the 2,000cc Challenge will be taking to the track from 9am to 5pm on Friday, with plenty of action promised from practice, to qualifying and then both races. The meeting will see the battle resume between some of the kingdom’s ace drivers, including Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Raed Himmo, Abdulrahman Ghuloom, Tim Birkin and defending champion Stephen Kellogg. Tickets to see the 2,000cc events cost BD2 for adults and BD1 for children.

Apart from the racing, there will be plenty of things to do on the sidelines, especially for children, making it a fun day out for the whole family. These include miniature carnival rides and games. There will also be plenty of food stalls and refreshments. For more information on the National Racing Festival, visit www.bahraingp.com or call the BIC hotline on 17450000.

The 2013 Spring of Culture’s is upon us with a riveting season of entertainment planned to enthrall the young and old alike. Now in its eighth year with more than 30 events planned and running until April 22, the nine-week schedule, under the banner ‘Revealing Bahrain’ is packed with acts. Booked to perform are renowned vocalists, musicians, performance art companies, visual art exhibitions, lectures and family fun activities, as well as educational workshops.

Il Divo, an operatic pop vocal group from the UK created by music mogul Simon Cowell, will perform at the Bahrain National Theatre on Friday at 8.30pm. French pop singer Sébastien Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, American tenor David Miller and Swiss tenor Urs Bühler have sold more than 26 million albums worldwide. Tickets cost BD40 & BD60.

Arabic singer-songwriter Jahida Wehbe has recently released a self-produced new album entitled Sonata for Love. Wehbe will present the world première of the album in Bahrain, accompanied by the sixtet, conducted by the famous qanun player Osama Abdulrasol with Dyck Van der Herst and Philippe Thuriot.

Jahida Wehbe will perform at the Cultural Hall on March 7 at 8pm.  Entry is free with limited seating.

Dinosaurs will be making an appearance in a unique interactive show with the Australian Erth performers. These life-like dinosaur creations come to life in an eye-popping display filled with fun, education and imagination.   This show will take place adjacent to the Bahrain Fort Museum on March 8 – 15 at 4pm with 10.30am showings on March 8, 9 and 15.
Tickets will cost BD4.

Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba troupe is back in Bahrain with its premiere dance musical Amigas. Featuring the fictional story of divas Mercedes, Caridad and Regla. The company’s performances combine elements of flamenco, ballet and contemporary dance with Spanish and Afro-Cuban rhythms. The show takes place at the Cultural Hall on March 21 and 22. Entry is free.

Interactive Musical Atelier will perform at the Salman Culture Centre on March 22 and 23 at 11am and 4pm. This Italian musical theatre group combines visual, emotional and immersive theatre. The audience will also be invited to touch and explore the interactive scene. Entry is free but reservations must be made in advance by calling 39999521.

Kadim Al Sahir has been dubbed the ‘Caesar of Arabic Song’ and and ‘Iraq’s Ambassador to the world’. Throughout his 30-year career, he has sold over 100 million albums and performed live to millions across the globe.  Tickets will cost BD20, BD25 and BD35.

Yanni is a Greek pianist, keyboardist, composer and music producer. He blends jazz, classical, soft rock and world music to create predominantly instrumental works. Yanni will perform on April 2 at the Bahrain National Theatre. Tickets will cost BD60 and BD80.

Charles Aznavour, dubbed as ‘the French Frank Sinatra’, has appeared in more than 60 movies, composed over 1,000 songs (including at least 150 in English, 100 in Italian, 70 in Spanish, and 50 in German) and sold more than 100 million records. He will perform on March 15 at Arad Fort at 8.30pm. Tickets will cost BD20, BD25 and BD35.

The Mahler Chamber Orchestra created their own ensemble pursuing their vision of an independent international orchestra playing at the highest level.  This musical performance will take place on March 27 at 7.45pm at the Bahrain National Theatre. Tickets will cost BD20, BD30 and BD40.

Rashmi dance troupe have reinvented Kathak, a traditional Indian dance through the portrayal of various traditional heroines, whose stories are told through dance.  The dance troupe will perform at La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art on March 29. Tickets cost BD25 and BD35 and can be purchased from the centre.

From Cuba, the Ballet Revolución show combines a fusion of ballet, contemporary dance and hip-hop, against a blend of sounds meshed with Cuban classics, Latin American and R&B hits. The show takes place on March 29 and 30 at Arad Fort at 8.30pm. Tickets will cost BD10, BD15 and BD20.

Melody Gardot is a Grammy-nominated American singer, writer and musician. She creates a blend of jazz-infused music for the past decade, catching the eye of major record labels with the 2008 release of her album Worrisome Heart. Melody’s performance will take place at Arad Fort at 8.30pm on March 23. Tickets will cost BD10, BD15 and BD20.

Artist Leadership programmes will take place all day at Albareh Art Gallery until April 10. Entry is free.

BAB Market, an outdoor festival at Bab Al Bahrain and Manama Souq will take place until March 30 from 4pm to 10pm everyday. Entry is free.

A photography exhibition entitled Within the Shadows by Ghada Khunji will take place on Sunday until March 23 at Bin Matar House in Muharraq. Entry is free.

An art exhibition by Himat Mohammed Ali will take place from Sunday until March 26 at Al Riwaq Art Space. Entry is free.

An Arabic lecture about the evolution of Arab cinema and television will be led by researcher Ibrahim Al Arees at 8pm on Monday at the Shaikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture and Research. Entry is free.

A poetry evening will be held on March 6 by seven artists at 7pm at Al Riwaq Art Space. Entry is free.

Award-winning poet Ahmed Abdel Muti Hijazi will lead a poetry and dialogue night at Shaikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture and Research at 8pm. Entry is free.

A puppetry, acting, shadow theatre and video performance by Sneezing Firas will take place from March 12-14 at 5pm at the Cultural Hall. Entry is free. A Turkish photography exhibition will take place at the Bahrain National Museum at 7pm on March 17. Entry is free.

Jordanian composer and pianist Zade Dirani will perform at the Shaikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture and Research on March 18 at 8pm. Entry is free.

Bechara El Bon will lead an Arabic lecture on the experience of an Arab journalist in foreign media organisations on March 25 at 8pm in Al Zayed House. Entry is free.

A theatre performance for children aged two to six by Paperbelle will take place at the Art Centre on March 26-28 at 10am and 4pm. Entry is free.

Alwan 338 exhibition will day place daily from March 26-April 22 in Adliya Block 338. Entry is free.

A lecture about secularism in today’s world by Tunisian Raja Bin Salamana will take place at 8pm on April 1 at the Shaikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture and Research. Entry is free.

Travel writer Tim Mackintosh-Smith will share tips on how to write a good travel book on April 4 at La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art at 7pm. Tickets cost BD20 and can be purchased at the centre.

An exhibition entitled Imagine, Fictional Architecture and the Liberation of Ideas will take place from April 7-27 at the Bin Matar House from 9am-1pm and again from 4pm-7pm. Entry is free.

Poet Najib Khaddari will recite his poetry at the House of Poetry on April 8 at 8pm. Entry is free.

An art exhibition by Lebanese artist Fatima El Hajj will take place from April 9-30 at Albareh Art Gallery. Entry is free.

Jordanian musician Farah Siraj will perform on April 12 at 8pm at the Cultural Hall. Entry is free.

A lecture on the price to pay, lessons for tomorrow and clashes of ignorance in the Mediterranean by Morrocoan Andre Azoulay will take place at the Shaikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture and Research on April 15 at 8pm. Entry is free.

An exhibition by architects Thomas Modeen and Maysam Alnasser as well as calligrapher Akar will take place from April 20 - May 20 at La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art. Entry is free.

A lecture focusing on media by Ghassan Hajjar will take place Al Zayed House at 8pm on April 22. Entry is free.

* For more information on tickets and events, call the Festival’s hotline on 39900630 or visit www.springofculture.org