Easter Carnival at The Westin Dhaka

On 18th April, 2014, The Westin Dhaka hosted their first Easter Carnival. The celebrations began at 10 am and continued till 1 pm.
The ballroom was ornate with balloons, Easter eggs of various sizes and colours, and of course the famous Easter Bunny was there. Children attended the event, eager to have a fun time while celebrating Easter with their parents.
The kids jumped on the bouncy castle, played in the ball pit and rode on the rides. They also took turns playing the Wii console. Parents were able to bond with their children as they played multiplayer games with them like tennis and baseball on the console.
Children's movies were playing on a large projection screen and the kids enjoyed scenes from Ice Age and Hop every now and then.
There were stalls offering popcorn and candy floss, and a booth where people could get their faces painted.
The first competition of the carnival was the Easter Egg Hunt. Baskets were handed to all of the children and they searched the ballroom high and low for all the hidden Easter eggs. After a while all the eggs were discovered and children carried baskets filled with colourful eggs to the stage. The winners received prizes such as gift vouchers for the Westin Dhaka. Shaiza, who won first place in the Egg Hunt, said, “I really enjoyed the carnival and finding the eggs was my favourite part. I found 24!”
With paint and brushes at hand, the children got a chance to showcase their inner artists by participating in the Egg Painting.
All the guests sat down to watch the shows while enjoying sandwiches, cupcakes and other snacks. Magician Arif Asgar left the kids in awe with his acts. He seemed to conjure colourful cloth out of thin air and also made a single coin multiply into many more. He then managed to procure the coins from the kids' ears. Like a classic magic show his act also included a live rabbit. Also a ventriloquist, Arif entertained the kids with his puppet Jojo.
The next item in the carnival was a live music show by the band Sensation. The children danced to the songs and after this, prizes were given out for the Easter Egg Hunt and the Egg Painting.
One of the organisers, Sazia Afrin, explained that the Easter Carnival was held keeping mainly the Christians of Bangladesh in mind. “Around here there is not much done for Easter and we decided to change that. Even though Easter is on Sunday, we held it on a Friday as children don't have school on this day and they were able to enjoy the carnival,” she said.
“We hosted this fun carnival so kids can learn more about Easter and we plan to do this every year,” added Mahmudul Islam, another organiser.