From fun runs to a fitness competition to the return of the MIA Park Bazaar to a free movie screening at Katara, there are plenty of ways to spend the next few days in Qatar. Here are our picks:
Color Run
The “Happiest 5K in the world” returns to Qatar for the second time on Saturday, Jan. 9, from 7:15 am onwards at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC).
The fun run debuted to droves of people last year, and involves participants getting doused in buckets of powdered color upon completing each kilometer of the course.
Participation costs QR170 per person, and residents can still sign up via credit card for some last minute spots online here.
Interested participants can also sign up in person via cash or credit card at the QNCC Basement Level, where registered runners can head to pick up their race packs from 6 to 9pm today and tomorrow, and from 3 to 7pm on Friday. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page here.
Ooredoo marathon
For those looking for more of a workout, the Ooredoo Marathon is also taking place this weekend. It will be held on Friday from 6:30 am onwards at the Museum of Islamic Art.
According to organizers, some thousands of runners have signed up to participate in either the full marathon, which spans 42.2 km along the Corniche, or for a concurrent half marathon. There are also 10km and 5km junior and adult races, and 3km and 1km kids races.
Winners will cash in on a prize pot of some QR1 million.
For safety reasons, the Corniche road will be closed to traffic from 6:30 to 11:30am on Friday to accommodate the races. Marathon spectators are requested to stand at the Corniche walkway at the Museum of Islamic Art or at the many checkpoints lining the Corniche to get an unobstructed view.
Runners can park at the Museum of Islamic Art port side entry from 5 to 7:30am, while visitors can do so at the Souq Waqif underground parking garage.
Participants must collect their race pack inside the Museum of Islamic Art parking lot on Friday between 5 and 6am.
Lecture with the Archbishop
The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue is hosting a panel session with Lord Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury – the head of the Church of England – from 6:30 to 8pm tonight (Jan. 6) at the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies in Education City.
The session will focus on “Secularity: Good or Bad; Religious Perspective,” and free and open to the public.
To register or for more information, email [email protected].
MIA Bazaar
Qatar’s largest outdoor handicrafts and specialty goods market is back for the first time in 2016 this weekend, with hundreds of vendors expected to be selling their goods on Saturday, Jan 9 at the MIA Park.
The bazaar runs from noon to 8pm and is a homage to the old souqs of yore, featuring some 150 stalls selling food, clothes, accessories, arts, crafts, décor and the like. The event is free and open to the public.
Crossfit showdown
Crossfit practitioners and fitness buffs are welcome to attend the final edition of Crossfit ERADA’s “Saturday Night Showdown,” a new fitness competition that tests participants’ fitness, endurance and concentration.
The event will be held on Jan. 9 from 5:30 pm onwards at the Sheraton Doha’s multi-purpose courts, and is free and open to the public.
Hosted by CrossFit ERADA, the event will pit some 60 male and female local and regional athletes against international champions for cash prizes and gift vouchers.
Art by the Blind
The Katara Cultural Center in association with the Al Noor Institute for the Blind is hosting a weekend-long exploration of artwork done by three blind students from the institute.
#Katara in cooperation with Al Noor Institute for the Blind, presents "Seeing through my Paint Brush" exhibition pic.twitter.com/xE0StbhSnq
— كتارا | Katara (@kataraqatar) January 4, 2016
The students, Farhana Hafez, Nawal Alihbabi, and Amna el Sediqui will be showcasing their works at the Katara Art Studios from 10am to 10pm from Jan. 7-9. The event is free and open to the public.
Little Gandhi screening
A documentary based on a Syrian activist Ghiyath Matar who became internationally famous for fighting violence and bullets with flowers and bottles of water will screen for the first time outside the US this weekend at the Katara Drama Theater.
The movie “Little Gandhi” will be screened on 9th January 2016, in #Katara Drama Theatre, at 7:00 pm. pic.twitter.com/lsOgbhtwVu
— كتارا | Katara (@kataraqatar) January 2, 2016
The director, Sam Kadi, will also be in attendance. The event will be held from 7pm onwards on Saturday, Jan. 9 and is free and open to the public.
Bonus:
- Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2016: The men’s tennis tournament will continue over the course of the weekend, with four matches scheduled from Jan 6-9. The second round of singles matches and the doubles quarterfinals will be held today from 3:30 pm onwards, followed by semis and finals on subsequent days. Tickets to the event cost QR10 for general access and between QR35 and QR300/each for center court seats, and can be bought online here. The event is open to the public, though children under five years are not allowed access to the stands of any court. Toddlers under the age of two can enter the venue without a ticket, but must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. For more information, results and schedules, visit the event’s website here.
What are your weekend plans? Thoughts?
