DOHA: Eid Al Adha Festival 2015 organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) concluded on a high note yesterday, attracting thousands of people to venues, including malls, museums and sports arenas.
The five-day celebrations were one of many organised by QTA and its partners to showcase Qatar’s offerings as a family destination and, in the long-term, increase the number of visitors and tourists by building a sustainable and diverse calendar of events. Organised under the theme ‘Capture Joy’, the festival featured a campaign which encouraged people to share joy during Eid and transform it into beautiful memories.
The campaign was held online, at Hamad International Airport and several venues across Qatar.
“Festivals are part of Qatar’s strategy to grow and diversify its tourism offerings in partnership with the private sector and promote Qatar as a family-oriented destination,” said Mashal Shahbik, Director, Festivals and Events, QTA.
“We thank our partners at tourism hotspots around Qatar such as Katara and Souq Waqif which held events in partnership with Sout Al Rayyan for their daily shows and events and look forward to introducing more attractions to the festivals and events calendar together.”
The Eid Festival included exclusive shows in malls — Aladdin (City Center), Bob the Builder (Dar Al Salam Mall), Dora’s Animalito Adventure (Ezdan Mall), Cinderella (Lagoona Mall), Play D’oh (Hyatt Plaza) and Kids Circus (Al Khor Mall).
Among the highlights of the Festival was the Frozen tribute in which the film’s major characters, Elsa and Ana, sang the film’s most popular songs with the audience.
Another feature of the festival is QTA-sponsored theatrical Arabic play The Wrestler, featuring child star Hala Al Turk and led by comedians Nasser Mohammad and Najwa Al Kubeisi. The show ends tonight at Qatar National Theatre.
QTA continues to bring world-class events to visitors and residents following the festival, including the internationally popular show Peter Pan – The Never-Ending Story, which opens tomorrow and runs until October 9 at Qatar National Convention Centre. Tickets are sold at Virgin Megastores.
Aspire Zone
About 13,000 people visited Aspire Zone’s six-day Eid Al Adha programme which also ended yesterday.
The programme was part of Aspire Zone Foundation’s (AZF)engagement with the local community and reflects its increasing popularity as a destination for families to celebrate Eid and other occasions.
It attracted a large number of families and offered activities, including paddle boating, pony ride, remote-controlled car races, water sports shows and performances that took place on the second day of Eid.
Families mixed fun with fitness at Aspire Zone during Eid, as many facilities were open to the public. By accessing the fields, courts and pitches, sports enthusiasts enjoyed football, basketball and volleyball, among others.
Facilities in use included Aspire Zone public football pitches in Aspire Park and near Khalifa Stadium, tennis courts in the ladies’ club and the multipurpose facility for basketball and volleyball in Aspire Park.
AZF will organise and host events soon, including Qatar’s strongest man in November, and the 50km World Championship in December in addition to ongoing programmes and activities such as Aquathon, Run the Park, Splash and Dash and cycling in Aspire.The Peninsula
