Qatar Tourism Announces Eid Al-Fitr Festival Events

Doha, July 07 (QNA) - Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) Tuesday announced events for Eid Al-Fitr 2015 Festival that will be held at different venues in the city over five days, staring on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr. The Festival this year will offer daily family entertainment including mime shows, The Rene Magritte Show, The Bubble Jo Show, and the Magic Paper Artist, as well as traditional Qatari Ardah performances throughout the country at malls from 4pm to 10pm. The shows will rotate between Hyatt Plaza, City Centre Doha, Ezdan Mall, Lagoona Mall, Al Khor Mall, and Dar Al Salam Mall. The Authority has planned exclusive shows at each of the malls, including Peter Pan (City Centre Doha), Circus Canada (Al Khor Mall), Jungle Book (Lagoona Mall), Pinocchio (Hyatt Plaza), The Little Prince (Dar Al Salam Mall) and Meet the Nicktoons (Ezdan Mall). Festival highlights include family-friendly musical 'Elmo Makes Music' produced by the makers of the popular Sesame Street program. The show will be held from July 18 to 22 at the Qatar National Convention Centre. Older audiences will be able to enjoy the stage production "Bishowish" Take it Easy, a touring play that will be held at Katara Theatre from July 18 to 27, before moving to other Arab countries. Written by Teyseer Abdullah and directed by Saad Burshed, the play stars a mix of 16 Qatari and Arab actors including Khaled Al Egeireb, Ali Ghreer, Khalil Al-Ramees, Muneera Mohammed, and Mohammed Al Sonni. Daily fireworks will light up the sky at Katara Cultural Village, while Souq Waqif will host daily music concerts in collaboration with Sout Al Rayyan Radio Station. Celebrations will be taking place throughout The Pearl-Qatar, Al Dosari Zoo, Aqua Park, Sheikh Faisal Al Thani Museum, Al Samrya Horse Riding, and Air Sport Committee. To enhance tourists experiences throughout the Festival and share the Eid Al-Fitr spirit, QTA will work with its partners to welcome visitors at Hamad International Airport and Abu Samra Crossing with information pamphlets and 'Eidiya' - gifts traditionally given at Eid. Information desks will also be set up at the airport and in malls to answer any questions about the Festival or Qatars offerings during this time. QTA Chief Marketing and Promotions Officer Rashed Al-Qurese said, "QTA organizes a number of festivals with its partners to expand tourism offerings and reinforce the countrys position as a preferred family-holiday destination." Qatar has seen a surge in the number of visitors from GCC, notably a 31% increase from Saudi Arabia during the first five months of the year, he added. The annual Eid Festival aims to increase the number of inbound tourists in the long-term by organising events, QTA said. (QNA)