Spring Festival begins at Souq Waqif today

Hundreds of visitors are expected to throng Souq Waqif today as it opens its annual Spring Festival featuring daily shows and workshops.

Spread on four locations, shows will start at 3.30pm and continue until 10pm for 15 days beginning today.

Entertaining passers-by at the souq's alleys are Harlequin stilts show, lights show, LED stilt walkers show, and toy bridge show.

The Souq Waqif Park will see shows by Stilt Butterflies, The Pigeons, jumping acrobats, Harlequin stilts, nature parade and fine arts at the Open Theatre.

Street performances will be held in regular intervals.

The Giant Fountain Circus Show, the main highlight of the festival, will have two shows, one at 4.30pm and another at 7.30pm near Al Bidda Hotel and Al Rayyan TV. There will also be workshops at the Souq Waqif Art Centre, including spring flowers, ceramic and decoupage, mural line, water painting, reverse glass art, desert rose carving and an artists' forum.

Winter Festival

Katara will start its Winter Festival on Sunday. Fifteen government entities, cultural organisations and private companies are organising exhibitions, competitions, workshops, performances, games, free health check-ups and awareness campaigns.

Events and activities, which will be free for the public, will run until Thursday from 4pm to 10pm at Katara Esplanade.

Participating entities include Childhood Cultural Centre, Qatar Centre for Heritage and Identity, Al Gannas Association, Al Adaam Motorcycle Club, Qatar News Agency and the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning.

Festival organisers have also lined up folkloric and theatrical shows, handicrafts exhibition, best healthcare practices, diabetes and blood pressure measurements, workshops for falconers, Al Galayel competition, and birds and animals galleries.

The ministry will exhibit winter flowers and plant nurseries and provide gardening tips from 4pm to 10pm every day at Katara Esplanade.

Qatar News Agency will hold an educational exhibition on the role of dissemination of information and awareness in a society. [The Peninsula]