Dates for the diary

The Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) is hosting a quiz night and karaoke at Nicole’s Mediterranean Restaurant in Adliya on March 24 from 7.30pm.

Entry is BD5 per person and the event will feature a United States theme, with a free shuttle bus to the venue from the base. For more information, call 33121769.

The 1st Al Areen Aquathlon will be held at the Lost Paradise of Dilmun Water Park & Al Areen Palace Hotel & Spa on March 25 at 11am. The event is open to all individuals aged 12 and above.

The event will feature a 400m swim followed by a 2.5km run. Cash prizes are on offer for the best times, and everyone will be awarded a finishing certificate with their time recorded.

The entry fee is BD10 inclusive of an invitation to enjoy LPOD after the conclusion of the event.

For more information, call 39132102 or email adnan.alqassab@gmail.com

A special concert titled ‘Jordanian-German Dialogue’ will take place on March 30 at 7pm at the Royal Cultural Centre. It will feature the Jordanian National Orchestra Association performing together with the Junges Ensemble Berlin Sinfonieorchestre. The programme includes music by Peter Tchaikovsky, Antonin Dvorák and Mohammed U Sidiq.

The Young Goans Club will be hosting an Easter Dinner Dance on March 31 at the Baan Saeng Thai Auditorium in Adliya from 8pm. This event will feature a dinner buffet, a live band, a special membership draw with prizes in gold and the distribution of Easter eggs to children.

For enquiries, contact 33778199 or 39881984.

The Jillionaire of Major Lazer will be performing at Ibrida Lounge, Ramee Grand Hotel & Spa, on March 31. With more than 15 years of experience, Jillionaire has created a unique sound which mashes indie dance and big room house with the Caribbean rhythms of soca and dancehall.

For table reservations, call 17111999.

The Mövenpick Hotel Bahrain is staging a Mexican Weekend on April 7-8, serving up traditional fare and beverages during its Thursday Night Out (BD33 net) and Friday Brunch (BD36 net).

Call 17460000 for details.

Malja Bahrain is presenting a Symphonies of the Self musical production to celebrate the works of late composer, Majeed Marhoon.

The project will be showcased over two consecutive evenings at the Bahrain Cultural Hall on April 8 and 9 in the form of a concert and documentary.

For more information, call 32323000.

Celebrity speaker and best-selling author Deepak Chopra, pictured right, will host a workshop based on ‘The Future of Well Being’ at the Bahrain Conference Centre, Crowne Plaza on April 11.

For more information, visit www.bihr.com.bs or call 36048699.

The next edition of Trib Fest will take place at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club in Janabiya on April 15. The event will involve various tribute acts from the UK performing classic hits by artists such as Queen, Stereophonics, David Bowie, Rihanna and Bryan Adams.

The event will run from 10am-10pm and tickets are available from https://www.tribfestbh.com/ or from the club reception. They are BD15 for adults and BD7 for children aged 12 and under.

A charity football tournament will take place on April 22 at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club in Janabiya. There will be competitions in the U10 and U14 age categories, as well as various other entertainment activities, T-shirt sales, a prize raffle and more.

Entry to all tournaments is free for guests, but donations will be accepted. All money raised will go to Nepal charities and the event is being run by volunteers.

The gulfBID Annual Expo for Construction, the kingdom’s biggest showcase for building and construction, will take place from April 26-28 at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre in Sanabis.

Swiss-Belhotel Seef offers various conference and meeting options and this month has launched a special promotion.

Facilities include three meeting rooms, and a ballroom for functions up to 200 guests. All meeting rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art technology and high-speed WI-FI access making the hotel suitable for hosting seminars, conventions or gala receptions. All meetings rooms have natural daylight.

Guest services include a Business Centre offering professional secretarial and administrative services such as typing, facsimile transmission, photocopying, printing and binding.

“The 27th floor is a stunning venue to host your cocktail, lunch or dinner with spectacular sea and city views,” a spokesman said. “Swiss-Belhotel Seef Bahrain has been recently awarded ‘Best 4-star Hotel in GCC’ by the Food & Travel GCC Tourism Awards 2016.

“The hotel is the ideal place to host your events, conveniently located next to the shopping malls, with easy access, spacious and contemporary guest rooms along with friendly and professional service.”

Swiss-Belhotel Seef is currently offering a ‘groups & events week-day package’, one free for every 10 rooms. This includes free upgrade to a deluxe room, fruit basket in the room and free high-speed Wi-Fi. The offer is valid until May 31, apart from during the F1 Grand Prix build-up and race from March 28 to April 3.

Reggae star Jimmy Cliff will open the festival of off-track entertainment at the 2016 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. The Jamaican Grammy-winning musician will be performing on April 1 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

Cliff is best known for songs such as Wonderful World, Beautiful People, Many Rivers to Cross, You Can Get It If You Really Want, The Harder They Come, Reggae Night, Hakuna Matata, and I Can See Clearly Now from the film Cool Runnings.

The music continues with world famous DJ pair Axwell ^ Ingrosso.

The duo’s first performance was in 2014 at the June 8 Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City, and since then the former members of Swedish House have enjoyed global success with a string of huge chart hits.

They are best known for tracks including number one charting single Sun is Shining and Top 10 iTunes tracks Something New, This Time and On My Way. They are listed in the Top 20 DJs in the world according to DJ Magazine and have become one of the most sought-after acts for the biggest festivals and clubs across the world.

Finally, global megastar Avicii will be the headline artist of the weekend as he performs on the Saturday night, two years after he had to pull out of the same slot for health reasons.

Avicii is a twice Grammy-nominated artist and producer, who has enjoyed a number of hits across the world with tracks such as Wake Me Up (which went four-times platinum and hit number one in 81 countries) and Hey Brother. He has consistently been ranked as one of the top 10 DJs in the world, according to DJ Magazine, and has won a string of awards including two MTV Music Awards, two World Music Awards and one Billboard Music Award.

The Swede has released two globally acclaimed albums to date, both of which have topped the charts around the world. His latest single is Broken Arrows, from his most recent album Stories, and it has already achieved sales of more than 1.5 million since its release late last year.

Further entertainment has been added to the bill, including a pair of captivating theatre shows which will be held in the F1 Village vending area.

The first is SIRO-A from Japan, a group who fuse mime, ground-breaking visual effects and an electro soundtrack to create a mind-blowing theatrical experience that is a feast for the senses.

Through dance, mime and puppetry, the company of six SIRO performers interact with technology in a spectacular way, including video projection, light animation, stunning laser effects and a pulsating electro beat.

The second Is Ticket to Bollywood, a high-octane production from Mumbai that packs fantastic costumes and joyful music to bring the glitz and glamour of the industry to life.

There will be three performances a day for each production. Entrance will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested in watching any of the performances must strictly adhere to the timings so as not to miss out. The schedule of the shows will be announced soon by BIC.

Tickets for the F1 weekend cost from BD60 to BD150. For details and promotional deals whilst available, visit www.bahraingp.com

The Sheraton Bahrain Hotel’s Chocoholic Brunch just got sweeter as for every diner that attends this Friday, the big-hearted establishment will donate a bag of rice to Feed the Need.

The five-star hotel has been supporting the initiative since October, filling up fridges placed across the kingdom with food for those that cannot afford it.

Thomas Flindt, general manager, said: “We believe that the hospitality industry should be the first ones to support this great initiative.

“We met the founder Michelle Bailey and came up with this idea of Brunch for Rice. Lots of food is thrown in the garbage while the less-fortunate need it. What Michelle has started is a wake-up call for everyone. Maybe one day no one will be hungry.”

Michelle, the owner of EMEA Development, started the programme to highlight the global problem of food wastage. In May 2014, she read a story about a Saudi Arabian resident who filled a fridge outside his home with free food. Moved by the concept, she decided to launch a Feed the Need Bahrain Facebook page to rally support.

Today, there are more than 10,000 members supporting her cause, including several schools, and 20 fridges placed around the island.

According to Michelle, the best foods are non-perishable such as bags of uncooked rice, long-life milk, bread and ready meals.

Michelle is thrilled to have the Sheraton involved. She said: “The staff has donated their time, energy and food to filling our fridges and spreading awareness.

“Brunch for Rice is a fabulous idea. A kilo of rice can feed a family for two days.

“We rely on the generosity of our volunteers to keep the fridges filled, clean and to pay for the electricity.”

The Crowne Plaza Bahrain Bfit Health Club is staging a Biggest Loser Challenge until May 10. The entrant who loses the most weight at the end of the four months will win three months free health club membership, a T-shirt and a one night stay-for-two at the hotel, inclusive of breakfast.

For details, contact 17531122.

The Gulf Hotel Bahrain is running numerous promotions throughout April. Sato’s Japanese Restaurant is offering an authentic Japanese Teppanyaki business lunch starting from BD12++ and it will feature live Japanese cooking shows. This runs from 12pm-3pm every Sunday to Thursday.

Secondly, Michelin Star-awarded chef Vineet Bhatia will be at the Rasoi outlet between April 1 and 5.

Finally, the China Garden will host a Dim Sum Festival throughout the month which will cater for all tastes.

Titolo Design and Build will be showcasing its world-renowned interior products and exterior services at the Gulf Interiors Exhibition 2016, which will run from the April 26-28 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre in Sanabis.

Based in Bahrain, Titolo has a unique approach to interiors by providing clients with a blend of classic and modern brands from Europe and Asia. Titolo provides clients with their own design concepts in exterior, interior and landscape projects, also featuring products in furniture, sanitary ware, cabinets, lighting, accessories, kitchen and flooring products.

For more information, visit: www.gulfinteriorsexhibition.com