It’s shaping up to be a weekend full of Ramadan-related activities around Qatar. In addition to eating, residents can check out ways to stay fit, build their own wooden majlis and fast for charity. Here are the highlights:

Fast-A-Thon

Keeping with the spirit of Ramadan, Hyatt Plaza has invited non-Muslims to participate in a day of fasting this weekend to help raise money to educate orphans in Somalia.

This annual event – which will be held on June 26 and 27 – is supported by Qatar Charity and Hyatt Plaza through a donation of QR200 per participant. Proceeds from the fast will support the “Help the Orphans” program, which aims to teach some 500 orphaned and impoverished Somalian children English. The day will culminate in a free iftar party and communal roundtable about the fasting experience.

Interested participants are requested to register online via the Hyatt Plaza website, or by sending email to [email protected], or calling 4499-9666. Participants can also register in person prior to June 26 at the mall’s customer service desk.

All participants are required to attend an orientation session at 4pm on Friday, June 26 at the Hyatt Plaza foodcourt.

Katara Ramadan festivities

As part of its ongoing Ramadan offerings schedule, Katara is hosting a market each night from 8:30pm to midnight at the Esplanade, which features several stalls selling traditional goods along with storytelling sessions from 9 to 11:30pm.

Several exhibitions and activities also open up to the public this week. An Ibn Batouta Tour is scheduled to be held daily from 8:30pm to midnight from June 23 to July 6 at the Esplanade.

Meanwhile, eight separate exhibitions focusing on Islam and Islamic traditions and astronomy have also recently opened in Buildings 13, 18, 19 and 22. They will run from 8:30 pm until midnight daily until July 22, and feature everything from interactive book spaces to Ramadan solar lanterns to information about early scientific achievements and Quran verses.

There is also a woodwork workshop offered at the Katara Arts Studios. During the workshop, which will be held every day from 8 to 11 pm on June 26 to July 30 at Building 19, participants will learn basic woodworking techniques, eventually building their very own wooden majlis. The workshops cost QR300 for the series, and interested participants are requested to register by sending their name and phone number via email to [email protected] or by calling 4408-0233 or 4408-0235.

Katara is also hosting a variety of Islamic talks, including “Fasting – Legislative Miracle” on June 29 from 9 to 10pm at Building 18; and others on the self-determination of youth by Ibrahim Kafif Al Ajmi on June 28 and on the will to live by Dr. Tarek Sweidan on June 25. Both sessions will be held after Ishaa prayers on June 28 at the Katara Opera House.

For more information, see a detailed schedule of events here.

Beach volleyball

Watch some of the best amateur beach volleyball teams face off until July 18 at the 5th Katara Beach Volleyball tournament. Matches run for a month and are scheduled to take place from 9pm to 11:30pm daily at the Katara beach volleyball courts, and are free and open to the public.

While registration for participants is closed, the public is still invited to watch the teams compete. Tournament winners will bag a QR30,000 prize, trophies, and gold medals, while the second and third place teams will win QR20,000 and QR10,000 respectively. For more information, visit the event’s website here.

Freej Aspire

Aspire Zone will open a new Ramadan tent to the public on Thursday, June 25. Dubbed “Freej” or “neighbor,” the open air-cooled tent will have games and kids’ sports, entertainment, folklore activities and other interactive Ramadan events daily from 9pm to midnight until July 6.

The tent will also feature handicraft markets with vendors selling traditional crafts and merchandise, storytelling sessions, and a food court.

Garangao at Ezdan

Garangao doesn’t officially happen until next week, but kids looking to get an early start can head to Ezdan Mall tomorrow, June 25, from 8:30 to 11pm.

This year, children ages 3 to 12 years old are invited to attend the event and collect treats from stores all over the mall in celebration of Garangao. Registration for the event will be held 30 minutes prior to the event at Gate 1, and a children’s area will be set up in the basement floor for games and activities.

What are your plans this weekend? Thoughts?