Valentine’s Ball
Enjoy an evening of fun and dance, while helping your furry friends with the BSPCA’s Valentine’s Ball. Come dressed in your finery for a great night out that includes a sumptuous buffet dinner with selected beverages, fantastic entertainment to help you dance the night away and an exciting auction. Tickets cost BD30 each and can be bought at the BSPCA Thrift Shop in Budaiya, the Animal Welfare Centre (AWC) in Askar, or at either the British or Dilmun Club receptions (cash only at the clubs). Tables are for eight people, so invite your friends to come along and help raise money for a good cause. All proceeds will go towards the maintenance of the BSPCA AWC and care of the animals sheltered there, and towards the Catch, Neuter and Return programme.
The event takes place at the InterContinental Regency Bahrain, on February 9 at 7pm. See you there!
Stop the Bullying
In a bid to tackle a widespread issue affecting many school children, the Bahraini Youth Forum Society (BYFS) is bringing the anti-bullying issue to light with its fourth ‘Naseem Initiative’ project titled ‘When You Hurt’. The group will highlight the subject by conducting a study as well as art and awareness campaigns over the coming months.
There will be roadshows and awareness corners at selected schools, including provision of creative awareness materials that can be easily communicated to youth and used as a reference by them later on. This will also include an art competition where students will be able to create a painting about bullying, and the best artwork will receive an award. Separate awareness sessions for parents will be organised as well. All these activities will be held from February 1 to April 26.
Foodie Fun
The ever popular ‘Taste Tour’ returns again this year to take you on another trip of culinary delights. There are 40 participating restaurants, where food lovers can go around and sample dishes to vote for their favourite eateries. They’ll also have the opportunity to win a prize as part of a raffle draw. The set menus range from BD5 to BD12. This ongoing event runs only until February 10, so hurry up and start tasting!
Movie Night
Enjoy a wonderful evening watching one of the most popular dance forms with the screening of Tango at La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art.
A dangerous love affair inspires the director, Carlos Saura, to create the most spectacular and boldly seductive dance film ever made. A stunning movie, the score is dynamic, beautifully written and magnificently performed. And, of course, the dancing is incredible!
The screening will be held on February 20 at 8pm and tickets cost BD10+, which can be used as credit at the restaurant on the same evening.
Delicious Reading!
Indulge your passion for reading and cooking at the same time with Words Bookstore Café’s CookBook Club. This month’s choice is Crossroads by Tal Ronnen, who is reinventing plant-based eating. At his Los Angeles restaurant, Crossroads, the menu is vegan, but there are no soybeans or bland seitan to be found. He teaches readers how to make his recipes and proves that the flavours we crave are easily replicated in dishes made without animal products. With accessible, unfussy recipes, this book is an indispensable resource for healthy, mindful eaters everywhere.
The rules of CookBook Club are simple. Look through the book, pick a recipe to prepare and bring the finished dish to the meeting, which will take place on February 7 at 7pm. The members receive a 10 per cent discount on this month’s book selection.
Celebrating Artists
Every year the Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition celebrates the creativity and ingenuity of the artists in the Kingdom, and this year is no different. In its 44th edition, the art community will gather again to present their finest work, uninhibited by a subject or theme. The result is a colourful display of styles and techniques through different mediums of expression. The exhibit, which runs until March 7 from 10am-9pm at Arad Fort, presents a collection of local and international artists residing in Bahrain.
Annual Festival Returns
Get your diaries out as the popular Spring of Culture is back!. Now in its 13th year, the festival’s kickoff date coincides with Arab Tourism Day, which was adopted when Manama was the Capital of Arab Tourism in 2013 and commemorates the anniversary of the birth of the famous Arab traveller Ibn Battuta. Bahrain’s unique cultural and historic sites will form the perfect backdrop for various exciting events and activities featuring local, regional and international talents, from song and music, to theatre, art and much more. These diverse events include lectures, workshops, exhibitions, concerts and other programmes. The festival starts from February 25, kicking off with ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’, a musical concert by Abed Azrieh, at Bahrain National Theatre at 8pm. Tickets will be sold at Virgin Megastore.
The festival continues until April 30. More details on the event line-up to follow, so stay tuned!
Art in Focus
One for art lovers, head down to La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art, where Fereshte Shishine, an accomplished artist, will hold an exhibition titled ‘Life Journey’.
Fereshte has studied with various masters and has a degree in art from the Academy of Fine Arts in Tehran. As a youngster, she enjoyed detailed work and, in particular, the poetry and intricacy of Persian miniatures. She later developed her skills in still life, portrait, landscape and etching. Her paintings are easily recognised by her deep appreciation for colour composition, sharp focus on light and her unique attention to particular details. A common characteristic of most of her paintings is the accidental presence of draperies and delicately knitted fabrics somewhere on the canvas. The exhibit opens on February 1 at 6pm, followed by dinner and a jazz performance by Groove Souq at 8pm, priced at BD30+.
Shop Till You Drop
The ‘Shop Bahrain’ festival has got all the ladies in a spending frenzy but it also has a lot to offer for the entire family. There are a variety of other activities to keep everyone entertained. Head to your nearest mall to check out what’s happening around you.
• Mr. Will & Mrs. Kate
Date: Ongoing-February 10
Location: Seef Mall, Muharraq
Time: 5pm, 7pm and 9pm
• Crystal Challenge
Date: Ongoing-February 10 (during weekends)
Location: The Bahrain Mall
Time: 4pm-10pm
• Musical Exhibition
Date: Ongoing-February 10 (during weekends)
Location: The Avenues
Time: 10am to midnight
• Mirror House
Date: Ongoing-February 10
Location: Dragon City
Time: 4pm-10pm
• Snakes & Ladders
Date: Ongoing-February 10
Location: Yateem Centre
Time: 4pm-10pm
• Traditional Game Tournament
Date: February 2-3
Location: Bab Al Bahrain Mall
Time: 4pm-10pm
• Winter Wonderland
Date: Ongoing-February 18
Location: Al Aali Shopping Complex
Time: Weekdays: 4pm-10pm, Weekends: 4pm to midnight
• Connect Four
Date: January 25-February 10
Location: El Mercado
Time: 4pm-10pm
• Giant Ludo
Date: Ongoing-February 10
Location: Saar Mall
Time: 4.30pm-10pm
• Camping Experience
Date: Ongoing-February 10
Location: Saar Mall
Time: 4.30pm-10pm
