Despite rising daytime temperatures, Qatar has been keeping a full calendar this year. The upcoming weekend is no exception – Here are some (mostly) free ways to enjoy the next few days.

Eat to your heart’s content. The fourth annual Qatar International Food Festival kicks off tomorrow evening, March 28 and runs through Sunday, March 31. The Qatar Tourism Authority appears to have completely revamped the festival from years past, firstly by relocating it to the Museum of Islamic Art Park from its old venue, the Doha Exhibition Center. 

Several of Qatar’s five-star hotel restaurants and other eateries will still be offering offering trimmed-down portions of food for discount prices, but there will also be a special zone of salads, juices and steam-cooked food catering to the healthy food and healthy lifestyle theme of this year’s fair. There are also some new features, like options to dine at sea or have dinner in the sky. Opening hours tomorrow are from 6pm to 11pm; Friday from 1pm to 11pm; Saturday from 1pm to 10pm; and Sunday from 2pm to 10pm.

Learn more about the Olympics. Nearby, the Qatar Museums Authority will launch the “Olympics – Past and Present” exhibition at Alriwaq Doha exhibition space in the MIA compound tomorrow.

The exhibition, which runs through June 30, will take viewers through 2,700 years of Olympic history with two sections highlighting ancient Olympia and the modern games. It will showcase a large number of artifacts – some dating back 2,000 years – from Qatar’s collections, as well as pieces from around the world, including Greece, France, Germany and Italy. To complement the exhibition, gallery lectures, a theater performance about the Greek mythological story of Medea, a film festival and a family fun day are planned over the next three months. More details here.

Have fun with horses. Chi Al Shaqab, the region’s first international equestrian competition, kicks off today and runs through Saturday, March 30 on the Al Shaqab grounds inside the Education City complex. Some 170 riders and 200 horses from 25 countries, including Olympic medal winners, will compete in events such as dressage, show jumping and endurance.

The public is invited to watch for free from the spectator plaza, which will feature family-oriented activities like a fashion exhibition and trade market, a “kids zone,” a food court, a Williams F1 simulator, and pony and carriage rides. Spectators can also buy day passes to the competitions for QR30. Children under six years old can enter for free. Here’s the program. 

Take a stroll through time. For the second year in a row, Katara has organized the Halal Hal Qatar Festival, a sheep and goat breeding event designed to revive animal trade as a part of Qatari culture and heritage.

The 10-day festival, which runs through Sunday, March 31, is free to the public and offers a chance to interact with shepherds, partake in old songs, taste traditional foods and view old crafts. It goes from 10am to 10pm at the Katara Esplanade. More details here.

What are your weekend plans?

Thoughts?

Credit: Top photo courtesy of Katara; second photo from QIFF on Facebook; third photo from QMA on Facebook; bottom photo from Chi Al Shaqaab on Facebook.