Summer festival opens to cheers
The Qatar Tourism and Exhibitions Authority hosted the opening of the Entertainment Village yesterday evening, with the first day of the summer festivities proving to be a big hit with many children who attended.
A number of schoolchildren cut a ribbon to officially open the event. It is the first time the summer festival is being held in the Doha Exhibition Centre as opposed to local shopping malls.
Stepping inside the exhibition hall is an impressive experience as the vast space has been transformed into something resembling a theme park.
Bumper cars, flying cars, Ferris wheels, a pirate ship and a small rollercoaster among many other attractions create a family festival atmosphere which was certainly being enjoyed by hundreds of visitors yesterday.
Performers in a variety of costumes entertained families on stage, where children were invited to participate in singing, dancing and other activities.
As well as the large variety of rides and theme park attractions, the festival is also hosting a selection of other stalls and shops selling goods from all over the world, as well as local handicrafts and cuisine.
One Malaysian storekeeper selling household appliances and cleaning products explained that his company had been invited to participate as he has taken part in other exhibitions in Qatar and already has a customer base here.
Sponsors such as Fanar (Qatar Islamic Cultural Centre) and Qatargas also have stalls at the event, which has been organised by the local company Seqlia.
The Qatargas stand is aimed at educating people about health and safety, and features a car rollover simulator to teach people about the phenomenon which results in many driving fatalities in Qatar.
One local youngster at the event said he was “very happy to have this here,” saying that he had never seen anything like it before.
And a parent overseeing his children at the festival said he was glad to have somewhere indoors to bring them during the summer months.
“It is far too hot to be standing outside for any length of time at the moment,” he said, adding “but here is air-conditioned and provides children with fun activities and games for the summer.”
The entertainment village is open from 10am-10pm Saturday to Thursday and 4-10pm on Friday until August 15. Tickets cost QR5.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=301415...
The Qatar Tourism and Exhibitions Authority
no comment on this
go to jungle zone, kids will enjoy more there. unlimited rides.
It's kind of weird as a I remember the summer festivals Qatar used to do in the shopping centres, particularly City Centre a few years back. It was terribly corny, but hey they had at least cultural dances and stuff on show. It was useful becuase even if u got bored of the dances etc quickly, at least you could go do other stuff as well such as benefit from the summer deals at the shops. It's weird, as Qatar could really play up its multicultural atmosphere to its benefit. I'm sure the embassies would love to take part. ANd seeing as Qatar really wants to become a tourist hub, how about highlighting Qatari culture? Ok i know some might howl that Qatar has no culture, but i'm sure the bedouin culture can be highlighted in a really interesting way. All things like this need is a bit of creativity. Not the tack on show here!
Luckily I read here first before going there, instead i took my 2 kids to Circus Land..much cheaper and more things to do
I found it to expensive too, I go there with 4 little kids it gets to be to much money in a very short time :(
unreasonable , and to top it of you have to pay for entry too , Huuh?!
agree with u donosa .. we were also very much dissappointed ... for all the hype and show ..
very costly .. instead we could take kids to the one near sana .. i forgot the name .. its just 30 per kid and unlimited time and any number of rides ...
my sincere advise is pls dont go n waste ur time
appreciate the initiative to create An Indoor Amusement Park cum Exhibition sale of products to spent 1 or 2 hours in Doha and let small kids get chilled out.
The crowd comprise of 95% Qatari and 5% expats.
Atleast one visit on a weekend is not a bad idea.
Their bar is sooo low it's depressing :(
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You need Religion so when everyone goes to Paradise you're not left behind..
The Qatar Tourism Authority, needs to re-assess what is entertainment for the children & what is not.It's a shame when a government authority host such a low class funfair & advertises it as a summer festival!
i agree with donosa
because in jungle zone u can enjoy as much as u like and u can also go out in the mall and then show the tag on kid hand and go back in again ....
inroduce them to the concept of the all day ride band-bracelet-stamp. Yes, charge a fee for those who would ride, but offer a bargin for riding all day. Most carnivals do such a thing in the U.S., and though not cheap, is a much better deal than per-ride tickets.
DO NOT GO!!
JODER! I wish I knew... we went today, paid 20 QR for 4 people, that was great... until we got in, and saw the token stall....
Seriously?? 10 or 15 QR per ride, PER CHILD! I took 3 kids and in 15min I spent 100QR... What kind of BS is that??
And on top of that, the food is also expensive... 1 bag of 50g of Doritos (the smallest one) 4QR!?!?!?!?!?!
This is totally tricky, as I didn't read anything in the papers about having to pay for each ride once you paid the entrance fee.
Boring, silly.. don't go... better try Jungle Zone for that matter, 40QR, and kids can go on any ride as much as they want to.
Five QR entry fees, Qr 20 for kids rides each. Inflated prices. The whole of Kazan Hall was empty except few vendors, who very selling junk for price of gold. The only nice thing was the Revolving Volvo at Qatar Gas Road Safety Drive Stall.
Recommended- I don't think so!
i have two child Merwane and Abdjalil, i hope to bring them this weekend!
i went there today and i am sorry to say that i am very disappointed. first of all there is an entrance ticket of QR5, which will be worth if there is something worth watching inside but in actual its not. there were few rides for children. basically its just for kids between the age of 6 to 12. plus there were some stalls for shoppings selling low quality items at high price.
Found it a bit pricey. Most rides go for about 10QR and more, with four kids....mmmh and in the paper, it was mentioned that it will cost 5QR at the gate and 5QR for the rides.
Qatar.....will visit tomorrow; hope it will be Good for young kids.
I attended the opening - to be honest for all the hype that has been generated it was a real disappointment. There are a few fun fair items (that's kinda 'cool' for two seconds if u're into that kind of thing), but honestly the rest was just cheap tack! Stalls selling very poor quality stuff that most people here would not consider buying. Yes it's a diversion for families, but is this the best that Qatar can do? I must say I was very disappointed, as from what I had heard this was going to be a big thing with plenty to keep the attention. I would love to know if anyone else disagrees with this.
attend the opening? I'd love to hear a first hand report.
Wow this is kool!! Like u smoke.. now i have a plan for this weekend..
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving!!!
That's the one,,,
YES adeel it is QIE.
Woow !! now i have someting to look forward for this weekened.
I will make sure i will push all the kids aside and sit and enjoy on all the rides.
Is this the Qatar International Exhibition center near Intercontinental Hotel?
Adeel Ali