Bayreuth Festival and foreign singers, long after they had been banned from all other venues across Germany (including heldentenor Max Lorenz, married to a well-known Jewish woman). Winifred's influence with Hitler was so strong that Hitler even wrote a letter (at her behest) to anti-fascist Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, begging him to lead the festival. Toscanini refused. From 1933 to 1942, the festival was conducted principally by Karl Elmendorff. It was under the Third Reich that the festival made its first break from tradition, abandoning the deteriorating 19th century sets created by Richard Wagner. Many protested at the changes, including prominent conductors
UAE Awafi Festival UAE Awafi Festival The UAE Awafi Festival is an annual festival in the United Arab Emirates. It is held in the spring. It celebrates the Emirates' ethnic and cultural heritage through outdoor sporting events, theater performances and cultural displays. The festival includes competitions in which participants scale sand dunes in various vehicles. The event is held in the Awafi area (known for its red sand dunes) in Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The festival is open to the public. Attendees usually arrive in off-road vehicles. The festival includes a Heritage Village show, local arts and crafts exhibitions, a bazaar,