A shopping festival, which aims to boost Bahrain's retail industry and encourage tourists to visit the country, kicks off on Saturday.

The 'Bahrain: One Heart' festival, sponsored by Tamkeen, will be held behind the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa in a giant tent covering 4,000 sqm.

It is being held under the patronage of BDF Commander-in-Chief Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

It will be inaugurated by Minister of State for Defence Affairs Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa at 5pm today and will be open until 10pm.

Entrance for the public is free and the festival will be open daily from 10am to 12.30pm and 5pm to 10pm. Around 115 companies from Bahrain and up to 55 companies from various GCC countries are taking part in the event, where items on sale include furniture, jewellery, clothing and hardware.

It is being spearheaded by Al Mashhad Trading Company with the aim of spreading a positive message about Bahrain and encourage tourists, said organiser Mohammed Morhaf.

'Over the recent months, there have been no people or no business in Bahrain and this event is to move business along,' he said. 'It is important to see everyone getting involved and send out a message that Bahrain is safe and open for business,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service