With the fasting month of Ramadan kicking off tomorrow, things appear to be a bit quiet on the weekend events front.

But there are still a few ways to stay in shape, help the environment, learn from history and other activities over the coming days. Here are our picks:

Katara Ramadan festival

To mark the month of Ramadan, Katara Cultural Village is hosting a slew of activities for families and children under the theme Miracles and Inventions.

This year, the festival will highlight the achievements of Muslim scientists through various workshops, exhibitions and lectures. A puppet theater, heritage market and sports events are also scheduled in the upcoming weeks, along with weekly talks at the Opera House and Katara mosque.

On offer this weekend are several workshops and exhibitions.

The fourth edition of the Katara Quran Memorization Sessions starts today, June 17th from 10 – 11.30 am every weekday until July 16, and is open for boys and girls (separately) ages 5-13. The course costs QR500, and online registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Katara is also hosting a series of Ramadan Family Workshops every Friday starting on June 19 from 8 to 11pm. The workshops involve Garangao, Islamic personalities, and coloring sessions, and cost between QR100 and 150 per class.

A Garangao packaging workshop will also take place from 8:30 to 10:30pm from June 20 to 22, and costs QR500 to attend. Interested residents are requested to email their names and phone numbers to [email protected] or call 44080233 or 44080235 to register for the above events.

For more information and details, visit the Katara events schedule here, or view the Ramadan Festival schedule here.

Mangroves cleanup

Local environmental adventure group Entalek is hosting a cleanup of the Qatar mangroves on Friday, June 19, at 7am at Purple Island in Al Khor.

Interested residents are encouraged to attend the event, work up a sweat and help keep the environment clean at the same time. For more information or to register, call 30233207 or visit the event’s Facebook page here.

Losail Karting experience

For a bit of homegrown thrills and action, head over to the Losail International Circuit and watch riders and drivers from the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation compete on the newly opened Losail Karting Track.

The event is free and open to the public, and will take place from 8:30 to 11pm on June 22 and 23. For more information, visit QMMF’s Facebook page here.

Hyatt Plaza Ramadan activities

Head over to Hyatt Plaza for a month-long series of children’s programs, activities, bazaars and competitions. While a detailed scheduled has yet to be released, but for the first 20 days of Ramadan, events will be held from 9pm to 11pm in the food court.

The mall is also expected to feature a Fast-a-thon, a Malaysian Bazaar and a Layaly Al Khair festival.

The latter will be an educational event featuring storytelling competitions in collaboration with the Edad Educational Center, while the Fast-a-thon is a charity event aimed at offering non-Muslims the chance to experience fasting.

The event will take place on June 26 and 27, backed by donations from Qatar Charity towards education in Somalia, and will culminate in a free iftar party for participants on the two days.

Katara beach soccer

Watch some of the best amateur beach soccer teams face off from June 20 until July 18 at the 5th Katara Beach Soccer tournament.

Matches run for a month and are scheduled to take place from 9pm to 11:30pm daily. They are free and open to the public.

Registration is also still open for those who wish to compete. Tournament winners will bag a QR50,000 prize, trophies, and gold medals, while the second and third place teams will win QR40,000 and QR30,000 respectively. For more information, visit the event’s website here.

Bonus:

• Aspire sports festival: Keep active this month with the help of the Aspire Ramadan Sports Festival, which will be held from Monday, June 22 until July 6. While registration for the various tournaments that will be held is now closed, residents are still encouraged to cheer on competitors at the matches, which will take place daily from 9pm onwards. Starting this week, the Junior Futsal, Men’s Football, American Football, Ladies’ Volleyball, Ladies 3×3 Basketball, and the Embassies Tournament will take place at various venues inside Aspire and the adjacent park. For more information and details, visit the Aspire website here.
• QSports summer camp: Keep toddlers and youngsters busy this summer and enrol them in a month-long summer camp hosted by QSports. Activities include football, basketball, swimming, tennis, kickboxing, yoga, and arts and crafts. Starting from June 21 until July 30, events will be held daily from 8am to 1pm at the QSports SFQ Sports Academy in Gharafa. Participation costs QR200 per day, QR850 per week, or QR3,200 for the entire month. Interested parents are requested to register their children online via the QSports website, or in person at their offices. For more information, call 4017-6791 or 3308-7381.

What are your weekend plans? Thoughts?