It’s a lovely day outside, and what better way to spend it than to soak up some Qatari culture? 

Forget the malls and head out to some of these events this weekend:

There are a ton of all-day happenings going on at Darb Al Saai near Sports Roundabout in Al Sadd, including:

• Al-Nasa, a shooting event that’s open to the public and teaches all classes to learn the principles of shooting with rifles under supervision of professional trainers. Al-Nasa is a sport known by Qataris since ancient times.

• Marbat Al Shaqab, an activity supervised by professionals aimed at educating visitors about horse-riding, in addition to highlighting Qatari horse beauty, as well as tips and guidance on how to care for and breed horses.

• Almshabayh, a wild reserve located south of Doha. This event will make it possible for visitors to closely see the beauty of the Arabian Oryx that settled in Qatar long ago.

On the Corniche, check out the Dhow Laser show after sunset, from 7 to 11pm on Saturday. 

Sunday

All of the Darb Al Saai events are still happening on Sunday. 

There’s also going to be a National Day Parade from 8:30am to 10:30am – but show up by 7:30am if you want seats! 

And on the Corniche, the laser light shows will take place from 5:30pm to 7:30pm and 8:15pm to 11:15pm.

There will also be a fireworks display on the Corniche on Sunday at 8 pm.

For those who want to enjoy the celebrations from the convenience of their couches, check out live National Day coverage on the following frequencies: Nilesat 12 169 and Arabsat 11 976.

For a full listing of what’s going on around town, visit the official National Day website. I Love Qatar also has a handy breakdown.

There’s also a handy-dandy app available for Blackberry, Android and iOS (ie iPhones) that you can get here.

Please share your plans with us!

Which events have you attended? Which do you recommend?