As the entire sprawling campus basked in the mild post-winter sun and the cheery Americana verve, it was quite easy to tell why this time-honoured annual gathering is called the Friendship Festival.


Girls break into a jig.

The 18th edition of the American School of Doha’s (ASD), was not just a family fun day done exceedingly well; it was the culmination of collective celebration for kids, parents, teachers and the community at large. Every year, more than 4,000 people visit the Festival in the five hours — 12pm to 5pm — it lasts. This year, too, every corridor, hall and cafeteria space of the school throbbed with the young energy of children and their excited parents, as several others seemed happy shooting the breeze in the lush lawn, indulging in outdoor fun and games.



A wide variety of cuisine at the Festival.


An open welcome to the community, the much-awaited Festival is aimed at promoting community spirit, friendship, and co-operation amongst students, school staff, parents, local business owners, and visitors.
Dr Thomas Hawkins, Director, ASD, told Community, “Since its inception, it was meant to bring people together. That’s why it’s called the Friendship Festival. It’s really about bringing community together, and about making sure that people feel like they are connected to the ASD community. Even people who aren’t part of the ASD community come in here and feel the warmth of the place and the great atmosphere. Kids love it. They have a lot of fun, and enjoy the performances, food and festivities. It’s a great way to celebrate the diversity of our community and also the closeness of our community.”
Featuring everything from live entertainment, games, prizes, shopping, and of course, a wide variety of food, on an entry fee of QR25 — or free with the purchase of a Festival T-shirt — the Festival, presented by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), sure seems to have something for every age.



The Friendship Festival team strikes a pose for Community.

While the kids freaked out on a bunch of carnival-type games such as Conk the Crow, or throwing plastic rings at a stack of cola bottles, and of course, the inflatable slides and bouncy castles, the grown-ups had a ton of eating and shopping options with vendors popping up all over the place.
To give a sense of the scale of shopping possibilities, there were more than 140 vendors selling a large range of arts, crafts, clothing, and merchandise from local businesses along with a delectable range of food. And then, of course, live entertainment was on offer in the way of performances by the military band, a-cappella groups, choirs, and dances.
Lori Meszaros, ASD Festival Co-Chairperson, said, “Just the news of the Festival sets off a massive buzz. Everybody wants to know how they can help,” she said. Rita Chedid, ASD Festival Co-Chairperson, seconded Meszaros. “That’s true even with the students. When we first announced that we need volunteers, it took just one day and the whole list was full. Everybody wanted to pitch in.”



Kids compete at the Festival.

Over time, ASD has come to be known for its “partnership with parents” in the form of many volunteer groups such as PTA, the Booster Club for athletic teams, or The Arab Mothers’ Association (AMA) — who made their presence felt by setting up a large tent in the open area so as to promote learning and appreciation of local culture, activities, and food.
The school’s PTA Festival committee comprising 17 parents and staff puts together the event with the support of many volunteers from the school community to “ensure that the day runs smoothly, safely, and completely enjoyed by all.”
Nikki Routledge, ASD PTA President, said that ASD is continuously expanding in every way. “We have children of 78 nationalities in our school,” Routledge said, “So it’s a lot of people who are coming and going. And because of the school itself expanding, our events expand and we bring in new people with new ideas. We are growing through that process because as the school is expanding, our ideas expand as well.”
“If you just step back and understand the hours that have gone in to putting out this Festival, and the physical labour as well of setting up and building games and people bringing in parts in their own suitcases from abroad just to make sure that the right handle will make it work just fine — it’s a lot of work,” Routledge pointed out.
That sure sounds challenging. But then you hear the team say something quite rare, especially when it comes to whipping up such a grand show. “We barely faced any challenges,” Meszaros said, “The amount of support that you receive from the entire community here is amazing. We started the Festival planning and work last September. It’s shocking actually, that you can get so many people especially from so many different backgrounds to come together and work as one team, and not have glitches along the way. I mean there are none.” Dr Hawkins added, “Moreover, we have 50 plus volunteers from the US military. So we get a lot of support from the broader community.”
What the ASD Festival team has also done is open up more avenues for student participation. Routledge said, “The students are volunteering, putting in their best efforts in whatever they are handling, getting their service hours in, and soon we plan to turn more vendor tables into student-led tables.”
Many of the vendors, selling paintings, handicrafts, artworks, photographs, carpets, beauty accessories, clothes, jewellery, books, and all sorts of knickknacks, set up shop for a cause, too. “A lot of them are supporting educational programmes in Africa and Middle East, which makes it all the better.”
With so many positive parallel narratives running along the Festival, what is the message that ASD wants to send out to its students with it? “A lot of the kids aren’t only excited but also get actively involved,” Dr Hawkins explained, “Some of the classes would put together baskets or boxes for the Silent Sale, knowing that they are contributing to the success of the Friendship Festival. They buy their T-shirts early and wear them. It’s a great build-up because they know it happens every year at the same time. It’s a great opportunity for them to come and have fun at their school on a day where they don’t have to go to school but just come out to play, have fun and eat great food. It’s wonderful for a lot of them to bring maybe their dads or moms who work and don’t come to school that often. The children are certainly proud to be part of the ASD School and the community.”
The Festival is also a major fundraiser for the PTA as proceeds from the day’s activities are directed back into the school to fund many programs, activities, and special projects that enhance the academic and extracurricular programs for the students at ASD. That explains why the Festival team can’t thank its sponsors enough: Maersk Oil Qatar, Exxon Mobil Qatar, Inc., Jaidah Automotive, Gulf Agency Company, Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd., RasGas, Schlumberger Oilfield Services, Seib Insurance & Reinsurance, Weill Cornell Medicine — Qatar, Writer Relocations, Zak’s, Dr Sarah’s Specialist Dental Centre, and Family Dental Clinic.
In each of the last couple of editions, the Festival has raised more than QR300,000. “The sponsors cover a lot of overheads, which helps in having the funds raised go straight back to school and enhance its facilities,” Routledge said.
With such a fantastic response year after year, we wonder if the team has considered extending the one-day Friendship Festival to three days. “Oh, gosh,” all of them say almost at once and laugh, “In that case, we would probably have to start preparing for it two years in advance.”