Christmas cheer on the sand

On December 6, 2,000 people from Abu Dhabi will drive to the desert for a night of caroling, camping and festive cheer.

Courtesy Carols in the Desert

Those who go camping in the desert in December might be somewhat shocked to come across 2,000 people singing Christmas carols among the sand dunes. On Friday, cars carrying hundreds of families will set off from Abu Dhabi to go into the desert for an evening of festive cheer.
Carols in the Desert is an annual event that was started by a South African couple who wanted to bring the Christmas spirit to Abu Dhabi. John Wilson, a business consultant, and his wife Hanneke, a musician, have lived in Abu Dhabi for the past 14 years. They have led a small group of volunteers in organising the event every year for the past eight years.
"We had done this sort of thing for many years back in South Africa - we are a musical family and we would invite friends round to sing carols every year", Wilson explains. "When we moved to Abu Dhabi, at first we felt we had lost the Christmas spirit, so we thought this would be the ideal way to get it back and at the same time enjoy the desert.
"The first Carols in the Desert was done spur of the moment, we just decided to have a barbecue in the desert and about 70 people came along. Every year since, it's grown and grown. Last year we had about 1,500 people and this year we are catering to 2,000. When we first started, there were no toilet facilities, we introduced those about four years ago. Being South African, we are used to camping in the wilderness and not having amenities, but some of the ladies put pressure on me, they said there weren't enough dunes to hide behind. This year we have had a very kind donation from Byrne [An equipment rental company]."
In past years there has been one convoy of carol singers who depart together, but this year the number of expected attendees is so great that John felt it would be better to have two convoys leave at the same time from different parts of the city. "No one is excluded - whatever kind of car you have, you can still get there, so we make it as open to everyone as possible," says John. "This year, we have chosen a different desert site, which is closer and easier to get to from Abu Dhabi."
When the convoys arrive at the secluded desert spot, those who choose to camp overnight set up their tents, children play in the sand and, at about 5.30pm, the fires are lit for people to start cooking their food on the shared communal barbecues provided.
"We don't want people bringing their own barbecues from a safety point of view," John explains. "To date, we have had no serious incidents in the desert, so we have been very fortunate. But if something does go wrong, we normally have a volunteer doctor on site to deal with it.
"As soon as people have finished eating, we start singing carols, led by a keyboard and guitars. It's all very informal - sing as loud or soft as you like, stay on your own or join the crowd. We provide booklets with the carols. We do the best we can out in the desert but we still try to maintain the desert atmosphere. We could get big generators, but that is not the point."
Anna Cawdery and her husband Richard, and two sons Rhys, 6 and Griff, 4, have been to the event twice before and are going again this year. "The scale of it is unbelievable, but it's very calm and serene, and very well organised. And when the candles come out, it's magical. Everybody goes together, it's a lovely atmosphere. It's like no other Christmas experience I have had before - so out of the ordinary. And no one cares if you don't sing in tune."
. The Carols in the Desert convoys depart at 3pm on Friday from Choueifat School in Khalifa A, and outside Al Noor Hospital on Airport Road. For more information, see the Carols in the Desert Facebook group
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