With just a week to go for Qatar National Day, the celebrations have already begun at Darb Al Saai and preparations are in full swing at numerous other places in Doha and beyond.
In particular, the Darb Al Saai festivities have been a major draw in recent years, attracting large groups of visitors from different walks of life with its wide range of activities.
The opening of this year’s Darb Al Saai celebrations, which took place recently, was attended by HE the Minister of Culture and Sports Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser al-Ali.
A large number of people, including families with children, visited the venue over the weekend and many could be seen moving from one pavilion to another.
Several organisations and entities, both public and private, have set up their pavilions at the location, offering a varied experience to the visitors. The activities on offer are educational, informative and entertaining.
For instance, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment’s pavilion features a number of activities and events that target different age groups and aim to spread environment awareness and to educate on its services for the public. The events include several competitions, exploratory trips and performances such as a contest on birds in Qatar, a student trip with the environment monitoring bodies, a plantation competition, interactive performances that touch on the ministry’s electronic services, awareness films for children and veterinary first aid.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce is also participating in the celebrations through a number of diverse events and programmes at Darb Al Saai.
There are also tents that depict the lives of people in Qatar in the past as well as various professions they engaged in, giving visitors a chance to learn about the country’s past and heritage.
Meanwhile, preparations for the December 18 festivities are on at several other locations in the city, such as the Doha Corniche and Katara - the Cultural Village. Flags have been put up along the entire stretch of the Corniche and special arrangements and galleries are being finalised for the ceremonial National Day parade on the road. Palm trees are also being decorated with lights for the special occasion.
Several organisations and companies around the country have also started decorating their premises in the national colours, and the Qatari flag could be seen flying high at a number of these buildings.
Schools, hotels, malls, supermarkets and other establishments have also been making arrangements on their premises with the national flag and other items highlighting the importance of the occasions. It is expected that more places will be draped in maroon and white in the coming days as more organisations join the festivities.
Meanwhile, ministries and national organisations have been highlighting their activities and achievements for 2016 as they prepare to hold Qatar National Day celebrations.
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