Performers at the Entertainment Stage enthrall spectators yesterday at the opening of the Qatar Summer Festival at the Doha Exhibition Centre transformed into an Entertainment City. PICTURE: Joey Aguilar.
By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter
Live shows, skill games and entertainment activities for all ages highlighted the opening of the Qatar Summer Festival 2015 on Saturday at the Doha Exhibition Centre (DEC).
Organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), the event dubbed as ‘Colour your summer’ kicked off in a colourful and festive mood, attracting a large number of visitors.
Wearing unique and colourful costumes, groups of performers from Brazil, Kenya, Somalia and some other countries in Africa welcomed families and children with their shows on stage.
“We call ourselves the ‘Violet Company’ and we want to entertain visitors with our colourful and one-of-a-kind dances,” said one of the performers.
The group also roamed the DEC, transformed into an Entertainment City, to welcome all festival goers who also had the chance to take photos with them.
Besides the live shows, the Entertainment Stage (one of the main sections) also hosted a number of games for young spectators and winners received gifts from the host.
The ‘Colour your summer’ section, another highlight of the event, attracted many families and children who spent their time in drawing and colouring activities.
A huge touch screen monitor which features digital puzzle and memory games was a big draw among children aged 8 to 12.
One of the staff at the section told Gulf Times that all their activities and games are educational and help children develop their artistic potential.
“Each game becomes more difficult at every level and it also becomes more challenging for the player,” he said.
Young children can play the Lego sets to build structures supervised either by their parents or festival staff. The section hosts a mini bowling game and a round pool filled with small plastic balls.
Some skill games at The Entertainment City also cater to adults and females such as the Kick a bucket, Ring toss, and basketball.
One supervisor said exciting prizes (mostly stuffed toys) are at stake for those who hit their targets or shoot a basket.
Extreme rides such as the mini roller coaster, Tagada and City Hooper occupy bigger spaces at the DEC attracting adults especially those who want to experience more thrill and excitement.
The food section may not be a festival highlight but snacks, meals and drinks served by a number of restaurants and eateries seemed to lure many visitors. These include karak and chapatti, a variety of biryani, shawarma, hotdogs, pizza and pasta and Indian snacks.
For the shopping promotions, QTA has announced that participating malls will set up a designated entertainment area for children “where they can colour their summer.”
Venues for the weekly raffle draws have already displayed major prizes (four BMW 7 Series and four Mini Coopers) at a conspicuous area.
QTA said information desks will be available in all the participating malls to answer customers’ queries.
“Customers can exchange their receipts with vouchers at the information desk (the number of vouchers depends on the amount of receipts) and drop them in the designated barrel,” QTA added.
Weekly raffle draws will be held on August 6 at Ezdan Mall, August 13 at The Mall, August 20 at Gulf Mall and August 27 at Villaggio.
