Rio WYD Events Appeal to Wide Variety of Interests

Music, exhibitions, dance, theatre, cinema, hikes, church tours and landmark visits make up the various activities of the Youth Festival for WYD Rio2013 next week. According to the Main Events department of the Rio2013 Local Organizing Committee, more than 600 free activities are already confirmed and will take place in various regions of Rio de Janeiro.

"The events are designed to capture the attention of the public, offering the opportunity to enjoy the diversity, quality and magnificence of artistic expression - a concert, a painting, a sculpture, a film - to propose an encounter with God," says Gustavo Ribeiro, manager of the Main Events department.

The Youth Festival will be organized through the following areas:

1. Exhibitions

There will be 45 exhibitions in different spaces. Among them, there is the "The Heritage of the Sacred," which features more than 100 works from the Vatican Museum and other important Italian museums. There are "Bike-riders for life", "Antonio Gaudi - The Days of Creation," "Corcovado: the redeemer and a prayer", "Brazilian Oratorios - Objects of Art and Faith," "The ‘Popular Santeiros Paulistas’ visiting Niteroi" "Surf, youth and life" and many more.

The exhibitions "are a wonderful vehicle to proclaim the Gospel and express the depths of souls,” explains Paloma Lladó, Spanish volunteer responsible for this area.

2. Music

At WYD Rio 2013, there will be 19 spaces where 158 bands will perform 362 shows. There will also be three great festivals, traditional in Brazil, called Halleluya, Hallel and PHN. There will also be stages in sub-headquarters of Niterói, Nilópolis and São João de Mereti, as well as presentations from different countries, such as Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Jamaica, Peru, Costa Rica, Malawi, Argentina, USA and Germany.

"Music is a tool for young people to enchant with Jesus Christ and the Church," says Gabriela Viana, a Brazilian volunteer responsible for the area.

3. Religious tourism

Three cultural events are included in this area: the nature hikes, the church tours and the tourist visits. The church tours consist of guided tours of 34 churches in the city. Already included in the hikes, pilgrims can hike under the coordination of the scouts. And the pilgrims can look forward to some amazing slight-seeing, particularly at Corcovado and the Sugar Loaf.

According to Colombian volunteer Paula Andrea Garcia Garcia, responsible for the area, the purpose of these events is to help the pilgrim to "discover the treasures of the city of Rio, a city that tells us what is prettiest, what is more important... and that Rio is constantly of God."

4. Performing Arts (Theatre and Dance)

There are 59 groups selected to perform. Overwhelmingly, the presentations were especially prepared for WYD Rio: Brazil, France, Italy, Guatemala, Venezuela, England. More than 15 nationalities are represented to enrich this great meeting.

The French volunteer Audrey Oliver, responsible for the area, said that "the performing arts are a fantastic way to establish a link with young people. Theatre, dance and music are emotional ways to share the faith, to take the Gospel to the public, with performances by groups from all over the world."

5. Cinema

The 200 cinema activities consist of 150 screenings, three international premieres, three soundtrack concerts and three special meetings of "CINEMA + FAITH", with the participation of actors David Henrie (USA), Eduardo Verásategui (Mexico) and the architect Bosco Gutierrez (inspiration of the movie "Inner Space"). There are also eight global performances from short festivals and the exclusive presentation of the short movie trailer "Noah," with Russell Crowe playing the role of Noah.

"There is an interesting programming for the pilgrims and the general public can enjoy movies, meetings, premieres, concerts,  forums  and presentations that come with messages that will touch and inspire their lives, their journey of faith and their mission to go and make disciples of all nations, "says Teresa Ekobo, Equatorial Guinea volunteer, responsible for the area.

The Youth Festival is being becoming a reality thanks to the work of many volunteers and coordinated by LPG Marketing, who are responsible for production.