Akon, Mel C, Tamer Hosny put the beats on Abu Dhabi

Yasalam’s Beats on the Beach Festival kicked off the Formula 1 weekend in style with an opening night of Arab and Western music thrilling crowds on Al Sahil Beach. With a day filled with interactive sessions, Yasalam Responsibly finale and a flash mob, the most exciting sports and entertainment weekend of the year is officially in full swing. 

Spice Girl Melanie C thrilled the crowds

By the end of the night, tens of thousands of people from all walks of life had crowded Al Sahil beach, trying to get up close to some of their favourite music stars. 

Emiratis Mansour Zayed, hip-hoppers Desert Heat and up-and-coming rapper, Sain gave the event a local flavor, making this Beats on the Beach Festival an ideal platform for UAE talent. Chart-topping artists Melanie C and AKON brought an international flair to the evening. Finally, Egyptian heartthrob, Tamer Hosny brought the house down at the end of the evening with some of the Middle East’s favourite modern Arabic pop. 

Earlier in the day, young students showed off their road safety campaign adverts to a panel of judges and in front of a large crowd in the Yasalam Responsibly finales. The team behind the successful advert was created by five young students at Zayed University, Ali Darwish AlKhouri, Saaed Malallah, Ahmed Abdulla, Ahmed Mohammed and Abdulla Masad. 

Tamer Hosny, the Egyptian heart-throb, closed the night

The interactive music and dance sessions were fully attended and ran throughout the afternoon, giving amateur talent a chance to hone their creative skills. Youngsters turned out to learn from the one of the world’s best beatboxers, Heatbox, who has been performing throughout the week at the Corniche. The attendees learnt how to layer their vocal and train their vocal cords from the skilled performer who can mimic innumerous musical instruments with his voice alone. 

Attendees also got a chance to learn club DJ skills as well as what it takes to be a radio DJ. The hip-hop session turned into a full-blown flash mob later in the day with huge crowds gathering to watch the spontaneous and simultaneous busting of moves. 

Nathan from Australia, who attended the radio DJ session yesterday commented: “I had an amateur show back in Australia when I was younger and have really wanted to get it into it professionally ever since. This was the perfect opportunity to get some great insight into the industry here and I really feel it has been beneficial.”