The festival is Qatar’s longest-running food and beverage tradition, combining culinary arts with family entertainment, and this year it celebrates its milestone edition at the heart of Education City, offering a whole new format and exciting festivities for residents and visitors of all ages.
Over the last decade, QIFF has grown as a festival and so has its contribution to the country’s thriving dining scene by attracting international chefs to open local outlets and support local businesses. This year, the festival has dedicated 15% of its space to up-and-coming entrepreneurs and local SMEs to provide them with a suitable platform to introduce their F&B offerings in this market.
All participants interested in booking a stall at QIFF 2019 (including hotels, restaurants, SMEs and others) can register online through this link: http://qiff2019.live/english. The deadline for registration is February 23.
Mashal Shahbik of QNTC said: “This year marks ten successful years of QIFF and we are very pleased to partner with Qatar Foundation to host this special edition. Through this festival, we showcase the destination’s unique venues and this year, we have chosen Oxygen Park to offer a new look and curated experiences for different age groups and palates in addition to popular features from previous editions.”
She added: “QIFF also inspires entrepreneurs to offer innovative initiatives and has been instrumental to the success of numerous local startups. We look forward to celebrating this success with our partners from the private and public sectors.”
Mohamed Fakhroo, executive director of Outreach and Institutional Advancement, QF, said: “We’re delighted to announce this collaboration with Qatar National Tourism Council which will see Qatar Foundation host the Qatar International Food Festival for the first time. By providing the use of our facilities for this event, we are striving to encourage community participation, while showing our support for local projects and initiatives that benefit the nation and ultimately help fulfil the country’s overarching goal of creating a sustainable economy.
"This collaboration will also show how Education City is a vibrant and diverse environment that is open to the wider community. By providing year-round activities, we offer visitors the opportunity to explore Qatar Foundation, including its recreational facilities, community development initiatives, educational offerings, and science and research centers – all of which have been designed to create a positive impact on the community.”
QIFF, first organised in 2010 as part of Qatar’s strategy to grow and diversify its tourism offerings in partnership with the private sector, has gained popularity and gone from strength to strength, receiving over 400,000 visitors last year.
So far, the festival has been hosted at numerous scenic venues across Qatar including Katara Cultural Village, MIA Park, Hotel Park, and The Pearl-Qatar. This year, residents and visitors from all over the world attending QIFF will get a chance to explore the impressively designed and landscaped Oxygen Park, also referred to as ‘green lungs of Education City’, as well as other amenities within the premises, including Qatar National Library, the Minaretein building (Education City Mosque), Qur'anic Botanic Garden, and Torba Farmers Market.
