Thousands attend the opening day of The Second International Festival of Falconry. Sponsored by the Emirates Falconers’ Club, the festival opened at the Englefield Estate, in the United Kingdom.
The day began with the sound of the Austrian horns to usher in the arena events, charting the history and diverse culture of falconry, from the Far East, through central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. All of which were brought to life through a range of ongoing demonstrations throughout the day, given by representatives of the countries involved and from international falconers.
H.E. Majid Al Mansouri, Executive Director, Emirates Falconers’ Club, said: “We are very excited about the response to the festival and believe that the combination of participating nations, events, exhibitions and demonstrations have made it a fascinating and enjoyable day for all visitors.”
Another major attraction was the falconry heritage and art exhibitions, where visitors were able to learn more about the history of falconry and see the artefacts, photos and manuscripts from the archives of international falconers. The festival also hosted a number of well attended seminars, providing an opportunity for international falconers to gather and discuss topics ranging from falcon training to the art of Croatian goshawking. Visitors were also able to deepen their understanding by attending these workshops.
The first day closed with a major “parade of nations” where representatives from each of the 50 attending nations were able to share their country’s traditions. Dressed in national dress and interacting with the crowd, this proved to be one of the highlight of the first day’s events.
