KT photos: Shihab
The MOTN Festival commenced at Abu Dhabi Corniche on Friday, offering a plethora of thrilling experiences, entertaining activities, and international food concepts until the end of this month. Now in its eighth edition, MOTN greets visitors with a space exploration theme, infusing a futuristic fantasy into the festival's rides, activities, skill games, and immersive tunnels.
"This year, the festival is even bigger with a fantasy theme and new activities that cater to children, teens, and adults," stated Fadi Khouri, MOTN's marketing manager. The concept and internationally recognized food vendors, who traveled from London and Australia, were inspired by feedback from previous year's visitors.
"In this edition, we feature the Ferris Wheel and Space Flight, and we've brought together all international food vendors, many of whom are debuting in Abu Dhabi due to popular demand, under one Food Hall," Khouri added. For example, residents were eager to introduce London's Chin Chin Ice Cream to the UAE. Chin Chin's innovative ice cream creations blend unique flavors like coffee and olive oil or black sesame tahini halva, all made with liquid nitrogen for an extra thrill and extravagant presentation.
Other highlights at the Food Hall dome include Frank! Hotdogs, Voodoo Rays' giant pizza slices, and Peckish's "London's favorite smashed burgers." "You've also noticed the long lines at Brooki; everyone is excited to meet the famous TikTok-er from Australia and try her freshly baked fluffy cookies," he noted.
On the festival's opening afternoon, parents and children eagerly lined up outside the massive indoor trampoline park to meet the parkour stunt performers Ninja Kidz. This widely popular social media family traveled from the US to showcase their thrilling acrobatics and signature choreographic martial arts throughout the weekend. Festival-goers can enjoy the Ninja Kidz-themed trampoline park until the end of the month, where they can attempt to defy gravity and practice some ninja moves.
Music enthusiasts are also in for a treat, with popular artists performing their favorite tunes throughout the festival. Performing artists include Oumaima, Ayed Youssef, Muslim, Siilawy, and A5RASS, with Mohamed Hamaki headlining the New Year's Eve show. MOTN offers several adrenaline-pumping experiences, including the Space Flight, where participants can float like astronauts in an open-air wind tunnel while enjoying the Abu Dhabi Corniche skyline and sea.
Horror fans can immerse themselves in the Thrill Zone with the spine-tingling challenge offered by Five Nights at Freddy's live. In teams of four, participants navigate a haunted hotel-themed maze, bringing the eerie world of the popular video game to life. While the game doesn't require significant mental skills, staged actors aim to scare participants when they least expect it.
At the augmented games hall, visitors can test their quick wit and get some extra cardio as the floor transforms into gaming screens. In teams of two, three, or four, each section features various challenges ranging from a simple digital football-like game to following a disappearing trail and jumping on golden balls while avoiding red ones in a rotating spin-wheel.
The event also caters to visitors looking for Instagram-worthy moments with various space-themed and optical illusion photo opportunities at the Out of This World Museum, including the cloud-filled Dream Nebula, Time Vortex, and Cosmic Lab. MOTN is open daily from 4pm to 12am, extending to 1am on New Year's Eve.
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