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Muscat: Monsoon has still not drenched Dhofar governorate this summer but visitors are already thronging Oman's southern region where the 48-day Khareef Festival starts today.
"All the arrangements are in place to make the annual Khareef Festival a great success this year too," Ahmad Saeed Nasser, a spokesperson for the Festival Committee told Gulf News yesterday from Salalah. "We are expecting over half a million visitors this year," he said, adding that people come from the other parts of Oman as well as GCC and all over the world.
The festival, he said, will open at the Lake Theatre at the foothills of verdant Jabal Atteen mountain range, with 11 musical concerts, including an operetta on the country's agricultural traditions and practices particularly in the south.
"More than 900 people will take part in the celebration, including folk troupes, school children, members of Omani women's associations, scouts, singers and poets," he pointed out.
"This time the motto of the festival is 'Family Get-together'," he said, adding that every family member will have ample activities to enjoy during the festival, which will also have a 'Global Village' where visitors can indulge in shopping. Khareef stands for south east monsoon and the festival celebrates the rain.
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