The Eighth Katara Traditional Dhow Festival will begin at Katara beach today, featuring a rich variety of cultural events, maritime contests and traditional shows, along with a spectacular fireworks display.  The four-day event, under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, will witness the participation of Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Turkey, India, Greece, Italy, and Zanzibar, among others. 
In a press statement, Katara said the organising committee expanded the scope of the activities to make them suitable for different categories and age groups. There will be a variety of sea contests carrying traditional names such as Hadaq, Shoush, Tafreesh, Tajdeef, Bareekha, Al Shira, Sabaha, among others, in addition to folkloric shows.
Festival-goers will also see a massive display of traditional sailing vessels and dhows at Katara, food outlets and other services at the festival. It will also feature pearl extracting from oyster, as well as games and workshops for children. Participating countries will showcase their traditional maritime craftsmanship and tools, including shipbuilding, ropes, sail and dredging machine, at a market at the festival.
During the evenings of Thursday and Friday, visitors will be treated to traditional maritime dances such as Saliya, Kharkhour and Ghazal. In the mornings, the festival will be open to the public and schoolchildren. An art competition focusing on sea traditions will be held on the sidelines of the festival, offering impressive prizes. The first prize winner will get QR30,000 while the second and third prizes offer QR20,000 and QR10,000, respectively. A cultural cafe with interactive discussions on sea traditions involving experts will add more colour to the festival. Impressive fireworks themed on marine traditions will illuminate the Katara sky on Thursday and Friday from 8pm to 8.30pm. The festival will conclude on Friday evening.