Osaka: Amid a large international turnout and a festive atmosphere that embodied the spirit of cultural connection, the Kingdom of Bahrain Pavilion, Connecting Seas, concluded its National Day celebrations at Expo 2025 Osaka. The programme ran from 17 to 20 September under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the celebrations were organized by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and held across several Expo venues. The event featured musical and folk bands, alongside artists and creatives who presented a programme that showcased the richness of Bahrain's identity and cultural history.
On 18 September, the Pavilion's official National Day, the programme began at the Pavilion with an Arabic coffee and calligraphy experience, before moving to the Expo's Grand Ring for a performance by the Bahrain Police Band. This offered audiences a celebratory experience rooted in authentic Bahraini identity.
In the National Day Hall, the main concert, Bahrain's Music Across Time, took audiences on an artistic journey from traditional Bahraini arts to contemporary music. The performance began with nahma and traditional seafaring work songs, followed by fjiri performed by the Qalali Folk Band and a tribute to fan al sawt, a genre developed by Bahraini pioneers Mohammed bin Faris, Dhahi bin Walid, and Mohammed Zuwayed. The evening concluded with a blend of tradition and piano performance by Bahraini artist Noor Al Qassim.
The concert also featured Bahraini talents Abdulrahman Awadh, Abdulla Haji, and Mohammed Aseeri, under the artistic direction of maestro Ziad Zaiman, reflecting the renewal of Bahrain's musical scene across generations.
Accompanied by a visual display on the Pavilion's main stage, the concert showcased significant works by Bahraini artists from different generations, including Abbas Al Mosawi, Abduljabbar Al Ghadban, Abdulla Al Muharraqi, Abdulkarim Al Bosta, Hussain Al Sunni, Rashid Al Araifi, Rashid Suwar, and Yousif Qassim.
The celebrations began on 17 September with the musical performance Twenty Years Later by Hasan Hujairi in collaboration with Kawol Samarqandi, offering audiences an artistic blend of contemporary sounds and musical experimentation.
On 19 September, the programme featured Bahraini folk traditions such as fjiri and fan al sawt, alongside a repertoire of traditional melodies that revived Bahrain's musical heritage, culminating in an evening of Bahraini jazz and modern songs.
The celebrations concluded on 20 September with a cultural experience that combined Arabic coffee and calligraphy sessions with multiple musical performances, including fan al sawt, Bahraini jazz, Bahraini songs, and traditional melodies.