Freedom 250 Great American State Fair Initiative – Abu Dhabi

The U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi, Public Diplomacy Section, announces an open competition to develop and implement the programmatic elements of a three-day Freedom 250 Great American State Fair. The Fair will showcase authentic American heartland culture, creativity, entrepreneurship, entertainment, culinary traditions, and music through immersive public programming designed for UAE audiences. Proposals should showcase American excellence, advance American commercial interests, enhance American brand visibility through public engagement, American vendor participation, strategic partnerships, and cultural programming, and strengthen the U.S.-UAE bilateral relationship. If selected, the grantee would deliver a comprehensive American State Fair with multiple touchpoints, including but not limited to interactive gaming attractions, themed parades, entertainment showcases, curated exhibitions, family-centric experiences, and an expansive culinary and retail village concept featuring American food brands and artisan vendors, all of which will collectively create an immersive and authentic American state fair experience. The selected grantee will be responsible for the design, curation, and implementation of the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair programming and participant experience. The grantee will be expected to coordinate closely with our UAE Local Partner Entity and their contractors, which will provide venue infrastructure and operational support. (Those services are subject to grantee negotiation with the UAE Local Entity and PDS involvement and may include but are not limited to the following: venue construction and dismantling, staging and physical infrastructure, ticketing operations, site setup and cleanup, utilities, waste management, security plans and coordination, public facilities, and other event logistics.) Accordingly, applicants for this Notice of Funding Opportunity should focus their proposals on programming, participant engagement, U.S. vendor recruitment and management, American cultural and commercial activations, and overall authentic event experience rather than venue operations and infrastructure. A detailed division of responsibilities will be provided to successful applicants and may be further refined in coordination with the Public Diplomacy Section and the UAE Local Entity. This initiative directly supports U.S. foreign...

We encourage applications from the following entities registered in the United States or the United Arab Emirates, with at least two years of demonstrated experience in large-scale event management, cultural programming, vendor coordination, and public engagement. (Proposals must include documentation demonstrating the applying organization's experience.)• Not-for-profit organizations, including non-governmental organizations;• Public and private educational institutions;• Non-profit or governmental educational institutions;