From adrenaline-pumping motor, tennis and show-jumping competitions to fast beats with DJ Tiesto (we’ve got free tickets) to concerts, a sheep beauty contest and a fancy jewelry expo, there are plenty of things to check out around town over the next few days. Here are our picks:

Motocross opener

The opening round of the 2016 FIM Motocross World Championship, MXGP of Qatar, will take place at the Losail MX Track on Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27.

The first round of the 2016 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship will also take place this weekend.

Free practice and qualifying races will be held on Friday from 3pm to 9pm and races will take place on Saturday from 4pm to 10pm.

Entrance to the grandstand is free. A two-day Paddock ticket is QR100/person and the price of a two-day VIP ticket is QR1,000/person. Tickets are available at the Welcome Center of the Losail Circuit Sports Club during the week of the event.

Show jumping championship

The 2016 Emir’s Sword International Show Jumping Championship will kick off tomorrow, Feb. 25, at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s main arena at 1pm.

The event is free for all and will be held for three days, opening at 1:30pm on Friday and 1pm on Saturday. The full program can be found on Facebook here.

Qatar Total Open

Some of the world’s best tennis players will be in town this weekend to compete in the Qatar Total Open.

The tournament kicked off earlier this week and runs through Saturday, Feb. 27 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Dafna/West Bay.

For the third time in a row, Serena Williams will not be playing in the Doha tournament, this time due to the flu.

Other top-ranked players including 2014 Qatar champion Simona Halep (No. 3) and 2015 winner and defending champ Lucie Safarova (No. 9) have already exited the tournament.

The highest-ranked player left is now Agnieszka Radwanska (No. 4), who will continue vying for prize money of more than $2.5 million.

Tickets for the tournament start at QR20 for ground passes, while finals tickets cost from QR100 to QR350. They can be bought in person (cash-only) at stalls in Landmark Mall, Lagoona Mall, City Center and the Khalifa complex, or online here.

Children under the age of five years old are allowed into the fan zone area, but not in the stands.

Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra concert

Krzysztof Penderecki will conduct Adagio from the Third Symphony during a concert at the Katara Opera House on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 7:30pm.

The event is being sponsored by Qatar Airways and Poland’s embassy in Doha. The evening will also include Penderecki conducting Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra (1992) and Antonín Dvořák conducting Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88.

Tickets cost from QR75 to QR200 per person and can be bought online here. Seating begins 20 minutes prior to performances and latecomers, as well as those in shorts or beach wear will not be seated. Children under six are not allowed.

Jewelry exhibition

The Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition is being held at a new location this year, the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) in West Bay.

The event, which opened to the public on Feb. 23, runs through Saturday, Feb. 27 and showcases some of the “most exclusive” watches, gemstones and diamonds from some 500 international brands, organizers said.

In addition to gawking at (and possibly buying) jewelry and other items on display, visitors can also attend seminars and participate in jewelry creation workshops.

The expo is open from noon to 10pm each day except Friday, when it runs from 3pm to 10pm. As per Qatar Tourism Authority instructions, children under the age of 16 years old are not allowed.

More information can be found on the event’s website here.

DJ Tiesto

Dutch electronic musical sensation Tiesto will return to Qatar for the first time in five years to hold a concert at the Sheraton Grand Doha hotel tomorrow (Feb. 25).

The performance is Tiesto’s first stop in the region in 2016, and is part of a world tour being held in conjunction with the Global DJs 10-year anniversary.

Tickets cost QR350/person and can be bought online here. According to organizers Iconic Qatar, the concert is open only to people who are 21 years and older.

A Qatar ID or passport is required for entry. As is typically the case when alcohol is served at such events in Qatar, the dress code is defined as “smart casual trendy/No sportswear or headgear of any kind.”

Doha News members can visit community.dohanews.co to receive free tickets. For people who wish to become members, please find more information here (the cost of one Tiesto ticket is more than our annual membership fee!).

Halal Qatar Festival

The annual Halal Qatar Festival at Katara Cultural Village has opened to the public. The event aims to revive Qatar’s heritage of sheep-breeding and will include a variety of related events, such as a sheep beauty contest and auction.

The festival runs until Feb. 28 at Katara from 9am to noon and 3pm to 10pm. More information can be found online here.

Qatar Cancer Day

To mark World Cancer Day, which was celebrated earlier this month, the Qatar Cancer Society is organizing several activities tomorrow, Feb. 25, at Katara Cultural Village.

The theme of the day will be “We Can. I Can,” and explore how everyone can do their part to reduce “the global burden of cancer,” Gulf Times reports.

Activities will include a scientific museum, kids area and theater events among others. The event will be open to school children from 9am to noon and from 4pm to 8pm to the general public.

Bonus:

• Concert in the park: The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra is hosting a free concert at MIA park on Friday, Feb. 26 from 7pm to 8:30pm. The event is in partnership with local schools, and will feature music from students as well. More information can be found here.
• MIA Park Bazaar: This weekly event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 26, and involves some 150 vendors selling local and handmade artifacts, clothing, decor, and accessories from noon to 8pm.
• Theeb screening: The Doha Film Institute will hold a weekend screening of the Academy Award-nominated film Theeb, which is about a boy and his older brother living in the Arabian desert in 1916 as the First World War rages on and the Ottoman Empire collapses. The show will be at 6pm on Friday, Feb. 26 at the MIA auditorium. Tickets are QR35/person, and can be bought online here. Students with ID get a discounted rate of QR25/person.

What are your plans for the weekend? Thoughts?