After a chilly few weeks, it’s shaping up to be a warm and busy next few days in Qatar, with plenty of family-friendly and grown-up activities on offer, including concerts, festivals and sports tournaments.
Here are our picks:
Souq Spring Festival
Despite canceling concert performances, the annual Souq Waqif Spring Festival will be on in full swing through Feb. 6.
Festival offerings are divided into three zones – a dolphin area that features an hour-long dolphin water show, the Al Rayyan Theater showcasing a live production of Shaun the Sheep, and a Games Zone opposite Fanar.
The latter features carnival game booths, food stalls and amusement park rides that cost QR10/each.
Events run at intervals from 3:30pm to 10:30pm, with two dolphin shows at 3:30 and 6:30 pm (tickets cost QR50 and QR100); and two performances of Shaun the Sheep at 4 and 7pm (tickets cost QR100, QR150, QR200 and QR300). Shaun the Sheep performances close tonight.
For a full schedule, timings and parking spots, visit the festival’s website here.
Men’s Handball Championship
Having thrilled audiences with performances by international superstars Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani, the Men’s Handball Champion will once again feature a famous artist.
American R&B singer Jason Derulo is slated to perform tonight, Jan. 28, after the quarter-final matches at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall.
Germany and Qatar are scheduled to play at 6:30pm and Denmark and Spain at 9pm, preceding the concert.
There are a handful of tickets remaining for tonight’s games, with prices ranging from QR40 to QR500. Tickets can be bought online here and guarantee seats for the post-game performance.
Fans can also buy concert tickets at the box office at Lusail from 8pm onwards tonight, though seats are subject to availability. For more information about the teams, schedule, and venues, visit the Qatar 2015 Handball website.
The Twenty Four fun zone
Located beside the Doha Golf Club, the Funzone, a new pop-up venue dedicated to art, fun and sport, will run daily from 8pm to 2am until Feb. 1, apparently as an unofficial part of Qatar’s handball entertainment.
Shuttle services are available to the zone from handball venues. The zone, where alcohol is being sold, is open to residents 18 years and older and offers a wide range of free activities, including bungee jumping, hot air balloon rides, billiards, air hockey tables, caricature artists, magic performances and a live graffiti artist.
Several bands are also performing over the next few days, and the 1970s R&B, soul and disco sensation Kool and the Gang will take to the stage on Feb 1.
See the full list of scheduled bands and singers here, or visit the event’s website here. A passport or Qatar ID is required to enter the venue.
Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra
The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra will perform on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 pm at the Qatar National Convention Center. Tickets to the event cost QR100/person and can be bought online here.
Featuring Alastair Willis as the night’s conductor, Felicitas Fuchs (soprano), Elisabeth Meister (alto), Robert Gambill (tenor), Dietrich Henschel (baritone), and the MDR Radio Choir of Leipzig, the ensemble will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125.
The event is open to residents ages six years old and over, and gates open at 6:30pm.
Arabian Drag Racing League
Spend your weekend with some fast-paced action by attending the first round of the Arabian Drag Racing League on Jan. 29 and 30 from 2pm onwards at the Qatar Racing Club.
The best and fastest car and bike racers in the region will compete over a two-month period for the title.
The event is free and open to the public, but residents are required to reserve their seats online. For more information and a full schedule, visit the event’s website, or the group’s Facebook page here.
MIA park bazaar
The Museum of Islamic Art Park will hold its weekly bazaar this Saturday, Jan. 31, from noon to 8 pm. A homage to the old souqs of yore, the bazaar features some 150 stalls selling clothes, accessories, arts, crafts, décor and the like.
The event is free and open to the public and will continue to be held every Saturday of the month through May.
For more information, visit the event’s website here.
What are your weekend plans? Thoughts?
