From an Indian cultural festival to Arab Mother’s Day celebrations, art exhibitions and live music, there’s no shortage of things to do in Doha over the next few days. Here are our picks:
Indian festival
The Passage To India, Qatar’s biggest festival celebrating the culture, heritage and traditions of the subcontinent, will take place over two days on March 19 and 20 at Katara Cultural Village’s amphitheater.
Some 450 different musicians, singers and artists are scheduled to perform at the festival, now in its second year and organized by Katara and the Indian Embassy. There will also be stalls serving different Indian cuisine and others selling Indian costumes, apparel and handicrafts.
As part of the festival events, the Doha Film Institute will host a free screening of The World of Goopi and Bagha (Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya) on Friday, March 20. The Indian animation feature will have English and Arabic subtitles.
Meanwhile, visitors are invited to check out a replica of the Indian monument India Gate – a 42m high “Arc-de-Triomphe”-like structure erected in the country’s capital Delhi as a memorial to Indian soldiers who died during WWI.
The event is free and open to the public, and will take place from 2 to 10pm on Thursday and 10am to 10pm on Friday at the Katara amphitheater and esplanade.
Live music
Groove Office, a new 10-piece band made up of musicians from the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, is hosting a monthly jam session at the Grand Hyatt hotel.
The band, which plays covers from an array of genres, including soul, funk and disco, and artists, such as Jamiroquai and Bruno Mars, will perform at the Dunes lounge on Thursday, March 19, from 10pm onwards.
Tickets to the event cost QR50 for women, and QR100 for men and can be bought on the door. For more information and videos, check out the band’s Facebook page here.
Modern art exhibition
Internationally-acclaimed Egyptian artist Wael Shawky will showcase two film trilogies – Cabaret Crusades (2010 – 2015) and Al Araba Al Madfuna (2012 – 2015) – at a new exhibition at Qatar’s Arab Museum of Modern Art (Mathaf).
The show, which occupies the atrium and ground-floor galleries, focuses on Shawky’s fascination with literature and history through fictional and documentary narratives, specifically those in Amin Maalouf’s book The Crusades through Arab Eyes (1983) and Mohamed Mustagab’s short stories Dayrout Al-Sharif (1983), which form the basis of the two trilogies.
Marionette characters made of ceramic and glass are also on display, along with storyboard drawings depicting figures and landscapes used in the films.
The exhibition, which opened this week, will run until Aug. 16 and is free for visitors. It is open to the public from 11am to 6pm every day except Fridays, when it opens from 3pm until 8pm. The museum is closed on Mondays.
ILHAM art exhibition
The works of numerous artists with disabilities from Qatar, Oman, and the UK are on display this week at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA).
Held in conjunction with South-African company Sasol, the British Council, and Qatar Museums, the exhibition will run until March 27, and features Islamic-inspired works by the artists.
The pieces were created during a two-week residency held earlier this year in Qatar as part of the “Differently Abled” initiative launched by Sasol in 2012.
The exhibition is free and open to the public from 10:30am to 5:30pm on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday; midday until 8pm on Thursday and Saturday, and 2pm to 8pm on Friday. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
Mother’s Day treats
Treat your mother this weekend to a special Mother’s Day brunch, dinner or spa treatment this weekend at various hotels around Qatar.
Special promotions are being offered for moms at La Cigale, Four Seasons, Crowne Plaza Doha, the Ritz, the Intercontinental, the W Doha and several others. See Marhaba’s round-up here for more information.
TEDxEducationCity
Students from several Education City universities are hosting the 3rd annual TEDxEducationCity summit on Saturday, March 21, from 3 to 6pm at the HBKU Student Center.
The event, which is based on the TED model, a series of conferences held all over the world about “ideas worth sharing,” will feature talks by several local entrepreneurs and experts on this year’s theme of “Revolution.”
The event is free and open to the public, but residents are requested to reserve a seat online here. For more information, speaker bios, and past conference videos, visit the event’s website here.
Bonus:
- Ecuadorian Food Festival: Sample exotic cuisine this weekend at the second Ecuadorian Food Festival, from March 18 to 28 at the Diplomatic Club. Held poolside, the event will include renowned Ecuadorian chefs Andre Obiol and Juan Jose Cueva showcase the best of Ecuadorian food in a buffet-style menu with live cooking stations. The event costs QR170 per person, and will be held daily from 7pm onwards. To reserve a table, please call 4484 7412, or email f&[email protected].
- Handicrafts market: The next QatArt Handmade Market will be held at Katara Cultural Village on March 20 from 3pm to 10pm outside building 19. Residents are welcome to shop at the event, which will feature jewelry, accessories, paintings, illustrations, graphic design, craft kits, bags, clothes, home decors and accessories, photography, handcrafted cards and boxes to party supplies and homemade food. For more information, see the market’s Facebook events page here.
- Fashion show: The Sheraton Doha will host the Qatar International Fashion Festival (QIFF), a two-day event showcasing the best of Pakistani designers to a local audience. The event will be held on March 19 and 20 and includes several famous Pakistani models walking the ramp in an exclusive show. Tickets to the March 19 fashion show cost QR150 and QR250 and can be purchased online here. The second day of the festival, an exhibition day, is free and open to the public.
What are your plans for the weekend? Thoughts?
