It lived up to the name of Muscat Festival as being a window to the cultural richness of the country with emphasis on the various aspects of the culture, past and present.

Apart from showcasing the various aspects of Omani culture, the festival also showcased the heritage and culture of nearby regions as well. The venues for the festival were the Qurum Natural Park, Azaiba and Seeb beaches. The shopping complexes in the capital area actively associated with the festival activities by launching special schemes. The rush at the festival venues was a source of pride and inspiration to the Muscat Municipality which organised the festival in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism.

The month-long festival with more than 500 activities is the biggest cultural event in the region with tourists from the region as well as from Europe and other parts of the world planning their trip to coincide with it.

Statistics reveal that the Festival Ground at Al Azaiba received 792,151 visitors; the Qurum Natural Park received 499,927 visitors, while the Seeb Beach and other venues received 1,096,933 visitors.

The Qurum Natural Park hosted the activities of the Omani Heritage Village, the Global Village and other cultural, sport and entertainment activities.

The festival venue at Al Azaiba hosted an international commercial exhibition with the participation of over 32 countries and other activities.

In addition to a number of popular Omani singers, renowned Arab singers including Mohammed Abdu, Hussain Al Jesmi, Abdullah Balkhair, Ridha Al Abdullah, Khalid bin Hussain, Ariyam, Al Wasmi and Al Yaziyah presented their concerts during the festival.