Exclusive this year: Summer Shopping Souq, biggest virtual reality setup and football fan zone

The Summer Entertainment City (SEC) is all set to welcome Qatar residents and visitors on Friday, with an array of entertainment and cultural shows, and fun-filled activities over Eid al-Fitr holidays.
SEC, organised by QSports as part of the Qatar Summer Festival (QSF) 2018, promises to be the biggest indoor entertainment facility in the country with 75 activations and different gaming options at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC).
“This year we tried to bring a very different flavour, with one of the most advanced virtual reality zones and there are about 12 skill games and a dedicated football fan zone to celebrate the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia,” QSports founder and board member Adil Ahmed, who is also SEC’s project director, told Gulf Times.



QSports has set up a huge virtual reality zone.




The City features dozens of amusement rides and games.




SEC is featuring the 'world’s largest bouncy castle' at DECC this year.

Football fans will be able to keep up with World Cup excitement at the fan zone, which will occupy 1,000sq m of space and features the robot goalie for the first time in Qatar. It will also offer food and beverages and other exciting sport based activities.
“New offerings such as the ‘kids digital playground’ have never been here before,” he added. “The world’s largest bouncy castle is here and an 18-hole indoor mini gold course has also been set up for the visitors.”
Ahmed noted that SEC also hosts more than 40 food outlets, which will offer a variety of flavours.
This year’s SEC will also feature a ‘Summer Shopping Souq,’ a premium shopping experience bringing more than 140 retail shops, he added. 
“We try to mix it up so that the whole family can enjoy, in addition to the live stage performances,” Ahmed stressed.
Organisers will also engage 40 embassies such as the Philippines, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, China, Malaysia, and India, among others, who will hold cultural shows.
“There is a daily calendar (of activities and shows), we have a total of more than 700 slots for performances and we have lined up more than 300 so far,” Ahmed noted, adding that roaming shows will also be entertaining visitors.
In a statement, QSports deputy chairman Ghanim al-Mohannadi said SEC is a major family friendly, business and touristic event that brings together many locals and expatriates in a cool indoor area amid the hot summer weather. 
Spread over 29,000sq m of the space at DECC, the City's key features include the world’s largest bouncy castle, synthetic ice skating rink, bungee trampoline, 12 skill games, virtual reality setup, amusement rides, video games, and live entertainment shows, among others.
Individual game prices range from QR10 to QR35. Other options are also available for unlimited gaming experience.
SEC is one of the biggest events lined up for the fifth edition of QSF, organised by Qatar Tourism Authority. 
QSF 2018, held under the theme “Colour Your Summer,” will kick off on Friday and will run until August 31.