DOHA: Up to 17,000 people, mostly families, visit the Souq Waqif daily to witness activities at the Souq Waqif Spring Festival.
The opening day on a Friday witnessed 40,000 visitors, said organisers.
Mohammed Al Salem, Director of Souq Waqif, said the festival administration increased the number of gifts for children from 30,000 to 45,000 because of the high number of visitors.
The Information and Tourism Centre at Souq Waqif is distributing between 1,500 and 2,000 gifts to children during the two-week festival, he said.
On Thursday and Friday, the number of visitors reaches up to 30,000 and on other days between 15,000 and 17,000 as the festival is mostly attracting families and children. Yesterday, thousands of visitors trooped to the souq to enjoy shows starting at 4pm. Shows included Winter Wonderland Birds, Static Man, Comedy Waiters, Sparklers LED, Comedy Waiters, Rope Walkers and traditional bands at the alley.
The outdoor theatre adjacent to the parking space at Al Souq Street is always filled with audience watching performers, including Men in Coats, Gandini Jugglers and a dog act.
The festival is also attracting a large number of audience, including families, from neighbouring GCC countries to listen to music from Lebanon, Iraq and Sudan, among others, and witness famous Arab singers perform at the 3,500-seat purpose-built auditorium.
Other attractions for children are bouncy castles, rides, carnival games, Dino Park and horse and pony rides.
New acts in the coming days include Ants Orchestra, Charlie Chaplin, Salah, Cars and Men, Benno the Magician, Parrot and a stunt team.
The damah competition is ongoing among 20 players from four teams representing different neighbourhoods. The contest ends on February 2 and the top four players will receive QR12,000, QR10,000, QR8,000 and QR6,000, respectively.
With the expected rush of visitors at the festival, Souq Waqif administration has expanded parking spaces around the Souq including the multi-storey underground parking near the Sheikhs’ Mosque which can accommodate 750 cars. The Peninsula
