The nine-day Souq Waqif April Festival brought to Doha a collection of spectacular performances from internationally-renowned artists, including the ‘world’s tallest bubbleologist’- William Wiles.
Towering at 6’10”, Wiles claims to be the ‘world’s tallest bubble man’. His performances during the festival, which concluded on Friday, are among several roving shows held along Souq Waqif Alley.
The festival was Wiles’ opportunity to perform in Qatar for the first time. Asked about the audience’s reception to his shows, he said: “It’s been great! And everyone loves bubbles! I have had some lovely audiences, many of whom love to see their children interact and enjoy the show.” 



'Titan the Robot' interacts with the crowd.

Wiles, who hails from London, had been making bubbles professionally for the past eight and a half years. 
“Bubbleology is the term coined to describe what I do: I study and play with bubbles for my job. The most important part of my job is the ingredients that I use and the chemistry involved in making the bubbles. 
“Most of the bubble is water and then you have concentrated soap and something that makes the evaporation process slower – it’s a secret ingredient that no one can know,” he pointed out.
He added: “Because it is held in the outdoors, the biggest challenge during my performance is that the bubbles are so thin they could burst if there would be any wind. In a performance like this you have to be very careful and very spontaneous,”
Another challenge, he also said, was the humidity: “I’ve spent quite a lot of my life living in hot countries so the weather didn’t come quite as a shock to me until last Thursday, which was very humid, especially at night time. I was completely soaked in three minutes.”
Aside from Wiles, the Souq Waqif Alley also saw performances from the ‘Apple Men’, a group of five performers from Slovenia; the ‘Gaudy People’, a duo from Vienna whose costume is made up of a colourful mosaic design; and England-based ‘Titan the Robot’, who is in Qatar for the second time.
In another section of Souq Waqif, stage performances by an African circus and the ‘Diabolo Comedy Show’ from Germany enthralled audiences with breathtaking acrobatics, singing and dancing, as well as exciting choreography and tricks.
The festival also showcased several amusement rides and games, which were also crowd favourites. ‘Titan the Robot’ will give an extra show (three, 30-minute performances) on Saturday from 4:30pm onwards along Souq Waqif Alley. 
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