Depeche Mode Close Record Breaking 5th year of Yasalam

• Electronic legends bring Yasalam 2013 to a close in front of 39,000 fans, the biggest attendance of four consecutive nights of amazing After-Race Concerts at the du Arena
• Yasalam 2013 most successful Festival yet with over 400,000 people enjoying Live Across The City, Live on the Corniche and Live on Yas Island
• 5 successful years of Yasalam sees more than 2 million people enjoy the best of Abu Dhabi entertainment
• Festival weekend sees international and Arabic superstars performing across Abu Dhabi, with JAY Z, Muse, Ludacris, Amr Diab, Elissa and Assi El Hellani headlining shows

Abu Dhabi, UAE – November 4th, 2013:  British electronic trio Depeche Mode brought Yasalam 2013 to an unforgettable climax with an epic performance for the fourth and final After-Race Concert. Playing hits such as Just Can't Get Enough and Enjoy The Silence, the iconic band sent a delighted crowd of 39,000 into raptures at the du Arena on Yas Island. The show marked the finale to an incredible weekend of entertainment which saw a host of international and Arabic superstars performing at the du Arena, with Muse, Amr Diab, Hussain Al Jassmi, Elissa and JAY Z with special guest Timbaland taking the stage.  At Beats on the Beach festival on the Corniche, three nights of free concerts featured headline performances from Gary Valenciano, Vina Morales, Ludacris, Labrinth, Ciara, Assi El Hellani and Sean Kingston.

Yasalam 2013, organized by FLASH Entertainment, was the most successful yet in its incredible five-year history. 400,000 people took advantage of the largest city-wide entertainment programme run by any race host city, which started on September 4th and provided 8 weeks of entertainment Across the City, on the Corniche and on Yas Island.

Since Yasalam began in 2009 it has now seen over 2 million people enjoy an unrivalled line-up of free concerts, events and community activities during five years of celebrations. Bringing exciting entertainment and culture to the diverse communities of the UAE, the festival continues to be the highlight of the Abu Dhabi calendar.

One of the highlights of Yasalam 2013 was the 8-week campaign ‘Get Driver Fit' brought to you by Activelife by Daman. Inspired by the fitness levels of racing drivers, the ‘Get Driver Fit' campaign saw an incredible 5,000 men and women take part in free fitness classes from running to pilates, as well as free introductory classes in 24 different sporting activities from cycling and kayaking to archery and basketball. The initiative gave the people of Abu Dhabi a chance to get fit, learn new skills and stay active, and will leave a legacy of healthy living and wellbeing.

As part of ‘Get Driver Fit', the Driver Fit 101 competition saw Emirati and International schools, as well as universities engaged in a 6-week course to learn about the importance of sport in one's lifestyle. At the Get Driver Fit Finale event each school presented a ‘Get Driver Fit' campaign to get people up, active and healthy across Abu Dhabi to judges including Team Abu Dhabi rally driver Majed Al Shamsi, co-founder and Director of DUPLAYS Derv Rao, and Joe Battikh, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility at Ericsson. The winners were Abu Dhabi International Private School ahead of Emirates National School and Al Rawafed Private School.

Yasalam 2013 also saw the return of the world's official F1 FanZone™ on the Corniche with over 100,000 people enjoying 11 days of free activities and entertainment for fans young and old: autograph signings with top racing drivers, skills and reaction challenges, simulators, special edition merchandise, with all the Grand Prix action screened live, plus a host of other adrenaline-charged activities.

To mark the opening of the F1 FanZone™, the people of Abu Dhabi came together to break the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for “The Most People Waving Chequered Flags”. An amazing 258 chequered flags fluttered on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, creating an incredible sight and firing up the city-wide celebrations ahead of the race.

At the end of its 5th year of celebrations, the Yasalam festival has once again built on the positive messages of competitive motorsport: healthy living, social interaction and car loads of fun. For an incredible 50 days Yasalam brought another blockbuster programme of festivities to residents and visitors across Abu Dhabi.