Though many people have lauded Qatar for organizing so many events and shows during this year’s Eid Al Adha holidays, some have expressed consternation after some of the main highlights have been unexpectedly postponed.
Last night, some residents found themselves being turned away from various venues that were hosting performances, with no prior warning that there had been a change to the schedule.
Katara’s “Dreams on Ice” and “Angry Birds” shows are among the events that failed to debut this weekend. Souq Waqif also reportedly turned away visitors last night who wanted to attend its circus.
The Katara events were due to open on Saturday, and the circus was slated to debut yesterday.
@JaviSiguero: @dohanews going with my son to see the Angry Birds exhibition in @katara and just the police closed access. Great!! Txs police
— Javier Siguero (@JaviSiguero) October 5, 2014
@dohanews I think @kataraqatar should announce Dreams on Ice & angry bird shows cancelled & won’t start before the 8th, many are turned back
— AbdulRahman Al Baker (@Aalbaker) October 5, 2014
Katara
Speaking to Doha News, a representative at Katara said that both “Angry Birds” and “Dreams on Ice” will now begin on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
But the representative could not comment on the reason for the delayed launch.
“Dreams on Ice” will still run until Nov. 30, with a number of performances taking place each day. From Oct. 8 to Oct. 11, the show will run at 5pm and 8pm on weekdays; and 3pm, 6pm and 9pm on weekends.
From Oct. 12 to Nov. 20, the show will run at 10am and 6pm on weekdays; 5pm and 8pm on Fridays and 3pm, 6pm and 9pm on Saturdays.
And “Angry Birds” shows will be held throughout this month. From Oct. 8 to Oct. 10, the show will run from 11am to 11pm on weekdays and 1pm to 11pm on weekends.
From Oct. 11 to Oct. 31, shows will run from 9am to 1pm on weekdays and 1pm to 11pm on weekends.
“Dreams on Ice” performances are organized by Katara itself, whereas Angry Birds shows are organized by the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), which hosts the majority of events taking place during the holidays. No one at QTA could immediately be reached for comment about the last-minute schedule changes.
More information about the two shows can be found in our Eid Guide here.
Elsewhere at Katara, fireworks, Big Bang and Abu Salama shows have been off to a great start, receiving positive feedback from many of the 70,000 people attending the shows on the first day of Eid, the Peninsula reports.
Circus woes
Doha residents have also expressed disappointment at changes made to Souq Waqif’s circus shows and a lack of organization at West End Park:
@qatarliving @dohanews I hate organisers 2 late start of show #shreya goshal show #west park Doha
it should start7.30 but till8.30 delayed— Madhava Reddy (@Madhava_19) October 5, 2014
https://twitter.com/pulpfiction96/status/518775560575528961
The souq’s information center told Doha News that no changes have been made to the schedule, and other departments were unavailable for comment.
Similar unexpected changes were also made during Eid Al Fitr this year, with residents for example reporting that Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al Thani Museum was closed on the first day of Eid until 4pm.
The museum was supposed to be open from 8:30am to 6pm for visitors.
Several other activities are still being hosted around town during this week and the coming month. For a full list, see our Eid Guide here.
Thoughts?
