The “House of Justice”, otherwise known as the Sharjah Courts, is lit up for the Sharjah Light Festival. The festival runs from February 7 for nine days. Razan Alzayani / The National

The nine-day festival will kick off on February 6, with attractions at 12 different locations across the emirate.

The “House of Justice”, otherwise known as the Sharjah Courts, is lit up for the Sharjah Light Festival. The festival runs from February 7 for nine days. Razan Alzayani / The National

SHARJAH // The annual Sharjah Light Festival, one of the emirate’s most popular tourist attractions, will take place next month.

The nine-day show, now in its fourth year, begins on February 6, with several new attractions being added.

Artists and technology will come together to narrate the story of Sharjah’s heritage and culture at 12 different locations across the emirate, said Mohammed Ali Al Noman, the chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority.

“For nine glorious days the emirate of Sharjah will once again wear a new robe of exquisite beauty decorated with the best of oriental art and colours, celebrating Sharjah’s Islamic civilisation and legacy of our ancestors,” he said.

Mr Al Noman said the Sharjah Light Festival complements and enhances the emirate’s tourism profile, illuminating its aesthetic beauty, literature, art and culture and helping the tourism sector attract tens of thousands of tourists from across the region and the world.

This year’s festival highlights also include an hour-long parade that will start at Flag Island and cover the expanse of Khalid Lagoon before leading to the central souq.

It will be followed by another hour of entertainment, including a fiesta with popular fictional characters that will transport visitors to the world of art, fantasy and humour, Mr Al Noman said.

Also this year, three new sites in Sharjah have been added. They include the Dr Sheikh Sultan Al Qassimi Centre for Gulf Studies, the new Sharjah Municipality building, where the opening ceremony will be held, and the King Faisal Mosque.

The Festival of Lights aims to celebrate and enhance the diversity of Sharjah’s popular landmarks, and tourist sites will be seen in a new light with specifically designed shows using the latest techniques in lighting, graphics and 3D technology.

The show will also be celebrated under the theme of Sharjah as the capital of Islamic culture for 2014, said Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, the chairman of the executive committee of the 2014 Islamic Capital.

He said that all festivals taking place in Sharjah in 2014 have a theme that reflects the emirate as an Islamic culture capital, starting with the Sharjah Light Festival.