* National parade to take place on Doha Corniche in the morning
* 16 parking locations have been provided for the public; shuttle buses to ferry spectators
* Mobile food carts, beverage outlets and giant screens to be available
* Access to Doha Metro's Al Bidda, Corniche and West Bay QIC stations to be restricted from 6am to 12 noon
* DECC will be the closest station to get to Corniche during this busy period
* Strong winds, chance of rain forecast
Qatar National Day 2019 will be celebrated on Wednesday across the country with gaiety, pomp and a range of activities, amid an atmosphere filled with national pride and loyalty.
This year, the National Day is being celebrated under the slogan 'Al Maali Kaydah', which means the path of excellence is difficult.
The slogan is inspired by a poem by Qatar's Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani, in which he talked about his martyr son Sheikh Joaan. The slogan expresses the faith of successive generations of Qatari youth, that the path to excellence is difficult, and to reach it one will need morality and science.
The Qatar National Day 2019 organising committee has completed all preparations to ensure that the festivities take place in the best possible way.
The Doha Corniche is all set to host the National Day parade, the highlight of the celebrations, from 9.30am, as reported in Gulf Times on Wednesday. Various other attractions have also been lined up at different venues around Qatar.
People interested in watching the parade have been advised to reach the site early in order to avoid crowding. Sixteen parking locations have been specified for the public to park their vehicles and travel to and from the Corniche in shuttle buses.
A number of mobile food carts and beverage outlets will be available along the Corniche for the benefit of the spectators. Restroom for men and women are also distributed along the stretch.
Screens have been installed at different locations along the Corniche to enable people to follow the parade.
Brigadier Ali Khajeem al-Adhba, head of the Security Committee for Qatar National Day Activities, had earlier advised the public to take the necessary safety measures in anticipation of weather conditions and urged parents to take care of children and ensure their safety.
He also stressed the importance of following the instructions of the organising committee and security personnel to facilitate access to the event areas on the Doha Corniche, noting that there are special places for families.
Meanwhile, the organising committee of the Associated Activities of Qatar National Day 2019 celebrations is hosting 12 mega cultural, musical and sports events on Wednesday. The events will be held at 10 venues in collaboration with Asian communities, companies and Asian schools in Qatar.
Besides, various activities and events are taking place at Darb Al Saai, Katara - the Cultural Village, Souq Waqif and other places.
Those interested in sports can head to Khalifa International Stadium to watch Liverpool take on Monterrey in the second semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup this evening.
Meanwhile, Qatar Rail has said due to the organisational requirements for Qatar National Day, access to the Al Bidda, Corniche and West Bay QIC stations of Doha Metro will be restricted between 6am and 12 noon today.
DECC will be the closest station to get to the Corniche during this busy period, according to a post on Qatar Rail's Doha Metro & Lusail Tram Twitter page. "Al Bidda station can still be used to change between the Red and Green lines throughout the day," it added.
Also, the Metrolink 143 feeder bus service will not run between 6am and 12 noon to and from the Corniche station.
Qatar Rail also advised people to use the Doha Metro Travel Card to easily access various celebration locations, such as the Corniche (DECC station, Red Line), Katara - the Cultural Village (Katara station, Red Line), Souq Waqif (Souq Waqif station, Gold Line), Darb Al Saai (Joaan station, Gold Line) and Aspire (Al Aziziyah station, Gold Line).
Qatar Rail had earlier announced that Doha Metro will extend its service hours until December 21 in view of the Qatar National Day celebrations. The revised timings are from 6am-1am during this period, while on Friday the Metro will operate from 2pm-1am. Doha Metro is also operating a temporary Metrolink feeder bus service until December 20 from Joaan station to Darb Al Saai.
Today's weather forecast says strong winds are expected in some places at times. Cloudy conditions will prevail and there is a chance of rain in some areas, according to the Qatar Met department.
Windy conditions have also forecast in offshore areas along with high seas. Besides, these areas may see partly cloudy conditions and there is a possibility of scattered rain occasionally.
The weather map shows slight rain is expected around Qatar on Wednesday, including in Doha, Mesaieed, Al Khor, Dukhan, etc. The temperature will range from 19C to 26C in Doha on Wednesday.
