Dates for the diary

The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel, Residence & Spa will host an evening with former football manager Harry Redknapp on February 26, where he will share stories from his colourful career.

Tickets are BD30 each, which includes entry, a gourmet dinner, a prize giveaway and a sports memorabilia auction.

For more information and tickets, visit www.ssmena.com or call 34552161.

The Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay is hosting a night of jazz on March 4. Share a taste for fine food and raise a toast while six-piece jazz band The Swing Revue plays in the background. The price is BD40 inclusive of a three-course meal and beverages.

The Disney Live! Mickey’s Music Festival will be coming to Bahrain for the first time in March. Mickey and Minnie Mouse will join Donald and Goofy, along with 25 of the world’s favourite characters, in what promises to be a fun-filled live theatre experience.

Ticket and timing information will be available soon.

Al Areen Palace & Spa is launching a new Keizo Brunch every Friday, starting from March 11. Enjoy the ambience of a grandiose and exquisitely-designed man-made island, as you savour a lavish brunch including Arabian, Western, Indian and Far East delicacies.

The cost is BD25++ with selected in-house beverages and BD19++ with soft beverages from 12.30pm-4pm. There is also complimentary access to the pool and kids club. For more information, call 17845000.

Celebrity speaker and best-selling author Deepak Chopra will host a workshop based on ‘The Future of Well Being’ at the Bahrain Conference Centre, Crowne Plaza on April 11.

For more information, visit www.bihr.com.bs, or call 36048699.

The next edition of Trib Fest will take place at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club in Janabiya on April 15. The event is an open air family friendly music festival and will involve various tribute acts from the UK performing classic hits by artists such as Queen, Stereophonics, David Bowie, Rihanna and Bryan Adams.

The event will run from 10am-10pm and tickets are available from https://www.tribfestbh.com/ or from the club reception. They are BD15 for adults and BD7 for children aged 12 and under.

The Indian Club is hosting a ‘Family Fun Day in the Desert’ which will be held at AAbex’s ‘Desert Pearl Camp’ in Sakhir on February 26 from 8am through to midnight for members and non-members. This will include a day of activities and family hospitality, including sports, kids’ entertainment, a fashion show featuring the inaugural Desert Queen 2016 beauty pageant, a DJ, barbecue and refreshments.

For more information, tickets or entry forms for any of the activities, visit the club in Manama or call 17253157.

The Crowne Plaza Bahrain Bfit Health Club is staging a Biggest Loser Challenge until May 10. The person who loses the most weight at the end of the four months will win three months free health club membership, a T-shirt and a one night stay-for-two at the hotel, inclusive of breakfast.

For details, contact 17531122.

The Bahrain International Garden Show (BIGS) will be held from February 25-28 at the Bahrain International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Sanabis.

BIGS attracts VIPs, architects, engineers, consultants, developers and professionals from various sectors in addition to agricultural enthusiasts, consumers and students of schools and universities.

Under the theme ‘Tree Care”, BIGS will focus on agricultural skills for the proper care of trees including land preparation, irrigation, fertilisation, trimming, pruning and safe ways of transplanting palm pups.

More than 155 exhibitors will participate this year with their products, technologies and innovations on display. Exhibition Hall 1, ‘The Market Zone’, will be dedicated to the marketing of various agricultural products such as flowers, plants, agricultural tools, pots, garden furniture, machinery, lighting equipment, and many more agricultural products and services.

Exhibition Hall 2 is divided into two sections: the ‘Awareness Zone’ will focus on raising awareness and educating visitors about agriculture. Exhibitors include public and educational institutions and civil society organisations who will display their services, projects, and latest agricultural innovations; and the ‘Design Zone’ will showcase innovations in the field of gardening, landscaping, and garden design and will include participants from the public and private sectors.

St Christopher’s Cathedral, Manama, is the venue for a rather different musical experience on February 25 at 6pm when Group Therapy will play its first Cathedral Concert.

Group Therapy is a collection of musicians who have been together for three years and all band members live in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

They play an eclectic mix of electric, acoustic, folk, light rock, blues and jazz, with music influenced by Cajun and Bluegrass.

They will cover songs from famous bands such as The Beatles, Eagles, Oasis, The Band and Blind Faith as well as artists including Eric Clapton and Neil Young.

Tickets are BD5 (accompanied children can enter for free) and are available from the St Christopher’s Cathedral Office by calling 17253866 or on the door on the night.

Stand-up comedian Adnan Nalwala is set to share his laugh-out-loud worldly experiences through impressions, story-telling and fancy footwork routines at tomorrow’s Open Mic Comedy Night in Bahrain, writes Mai Al Khatib-Camille.

The 36-year-old businessman by day and funny man by night has been entertaining crowds at various events in the US, UAE and India for the past eight years and performing with some of the best comedians in the Middle East.

He was the opening act for Bollywood actor and comedian Vir Das in Dubai in September 2015 and recently completed a tour with the Indian Comedy Club.

Now he will be delighting the kingdom for the first time at the Polo Gastropub with catch phrases like ‘enjoying?’ (which he says to people trying to chat up a girl) or his Arab friends saying for everything ‘best in za wur-led’.

He will be headlining the show organised by Bahrain-based StageTime Entertainment and hosted by Radio Bahrain DJ and comedian Imran Al Aradi.

Adnan, an Indian executive director at the Al Ansari Group construction and building materials company, from Dubai, said: “I am really excited to be performing in Bahrain. This will be my first time in the kingdom and I am really excited to share the stage with some of the finest local talent.

“The comedy scene has really picked up over the last seven to eight years and audiences want to see more and they also expect more!”

Although Adnan believes being a standup comedian is one of the toughest tasks, he still encourages anyone with a funny bone to get up on stage and give it their best shot. He said: “You need to engage with people right away. Unlike a musician, who does not need acknowledgement on stage, a comedian will die on stage if he doesn’t hear laughter.

“I have immense respect for anyone who even grabs a mic and thinks about getting on stage to make people laugh. Comedy is no laughing matter. For every minute on stage a comedian puts in on an average 10 hours of work which includes research, writing and rehearsing. While it may look like a few words delivered on stage it takes a lot of courage and effort.

“What makes a good comedian is a mixture of elements, having script-writing skills, a good observational ability and great story-telling techniques. The audience is a lot smarter now because of social media and YouTube.”

Adnan, who calls himself a ‘third cultured adult’ having travelled to more than 36 countries and lived in China, Japan, Oman, UAE, the US and India, derives most of his humour from the experiences he has gone through. He said: “I would call them observational and incident-based comedy. I do cover trending topics as well but I need to feel about an issue deeply. I also use physicality, impersonation and dance in my routines.”

Since his early years, Adnan had a passion for comedy, something he picked up from his dad Yusuf, the managing director of Al Ansari Group, and, mum, Rashida.

He said: “My dad has an amazing sense of humour and my mum has amazing impersonation skills. I have been lucky to watch them both and pick it up from them. My three brothers Esmail, Ebrahim and Murtaza are not in the entertainment business but they all have a wicked sense of humour and could easily be stand-ups in my opinion.”

Whether he was having people fall off their chairs from laughter at different gigs or make his school teachers cry with joy from his impressions, Adnan was destined for the stage.

Adnan was first bit by the funny bug when he attended the Indian School Muscat in Oman. Hearing his classmates and teachers laughing until their sides hurt was just the encouragement he needed.

He said: “Ever since I was a child, comedy has been a passion and I have been doing sketches and monologues. The first time ever was in third grade when a teacher from another class called me in to perform a 35-minute impersonation session of all the teachers in school. I remember vividly I had the whole class in stitches and then eventually all the teachers would call me into their classes to show them my impersonations. I also won a few awards in school for my acting skills and when I graduated I was awarded ‘Mr Humorous’ from the 11th graders.

“I did not think I was going to be a comedian, but I have to thank my friends and family who egged me on to get on stage. I love being on stage because it allows me to express my thoughts and take on things that I see differently. I also love when I hear someone laugh at my jokes and when that is backed by clapping it feels euphoric.”

Adnan’s sense of humour also helps him with striking lightning business deals and when holding meetings. He said: “When you do business you need to have a sense of humour or else it’s going to drive you up the wall and being a good comedian is serious business.

“Most people in the corporate world are highly-strung, but when you bring in a joke it lightens up the mood and helps break the ice. Also, it helps when things go wrong. It is impossible for everyone to deliver and if you’re in senior management going through a tough time, cracking a few jokes can help lift the spirits.”

Watch Adnan in action tomorrow at 8pm. There is an entry fee of BD5 with a welcome drink. For further details, contact info@stagetimebh.com

Saudi Arabian artist Wedad Al-Bakr will be the first to display her work at the new public space at Bahrain Financial Harbour as part of an ‘Art at the Harbour’ initiative which aims to showcase and exhibit the pieces of regional artists.

Wedad’s art focuses on a variety of styles. Originally a keen still-life and nature enthusiast, she has since developed her techniques and branched out into abstract and expressionism, and most recently, feminine subjects.

Her use of varying mediums, such as pastel, charcoal, acrylic and goal leaf, means she has a wide portfolio to display with styles ranging from spontaneous and simple to bold and confident.

Wedad’s paintings have already been exhibited across the globe in Athens, Geneva, Florence and now Bahrain, which Bahrain Financial Harbour CEO Angus Campbell is delighted to be able to unveil.

He said: “Wedad’s art is striking and interesting, and radiates inspiration. Our aim is to position the Harbour as a relevant and lively place to meet friends and family, an enjoyable lifestyle destination as well as the number one choice of business. Exciting and lively art not only contributed to this but is also fun, interesting and uplifting for all.”

Reggae star Jimmy Cliff will open the festival of off-track entertainment at the 2016 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Jamaican Grammy-winning musician will be performing on April 1 at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

Cliff is best known for songs such as Wonderful World, Beautiful People, Many Rivers to Cross, You Can Get It If You Really Want, The Harder They Come, Reggae Night, Hakuna Matata, and I Can See Clearly Now from the film Cool Runnings.

The music continues with world famous DJ pair Axwell ^ Ingrosso.

The duo’s first performance was in 2014 at the June 8 Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City, and since then the former members of Swedish House have enjoyed global success with a string of huge chart hits.

They are best known for tracks including number one charting single Sun is Shining and Top 10 iTunes tracks Something New, This Time and On My Way. They are listed in the Top 20 DJs in the world according to DJ Magazine and have become one of the most sought-after acts for the biggest festivals and clubs across the world.