Children enjoy Caterpillar ride at Al Ahmed Square on the last day of Souq Waqif Spring Festival yesterday. Pic: Raynald C Rivera / The Peninsula
Some Souq Waqif visitors braved the cold yesterday to take advantage of the various fun activities on the last day of its annual Spring Festival.
Compared to the previous Fridays at the festival, however, not many people thronged the fair because of the cold temperatures combined with dusty wind which prevailed throughout the day.
The thrill rides which usually witness huge crowds did not see long queues when the amusement park at Al Ahmed Square opened at 4pm yesterday. For some festival-goers, however, the excitement of trying the thrill rides overcame the chilly weather.
“I have always wanted to try this ride since the festival started but did not have the courage, so I have decided to take the ride today since it is the last day, and the feeling was great,” said Ronel, after taking the Ranger, an exhilarating pendulum ride.
Nine family and thrill rides such as Extreme Swing, Crazy Frog, Caterpillar and Crazy Fire were available at the amusement park, which has become one of the major highlights of the festival.
Other features included the Dolphin Show, parades of street performers, musicians and acrobats, a Kids’ Show at the Abdul Aziz Nasser Theatre, and nightly concerts featuring renowned Arab singers.
In addition, Souq Waqif Art Centre also hosted live demonstrations and workshops by artists in which saw many young participants. “It is cold but my children enjoyed the rides, ” said Abdullah, one of the visitors who came with his family to stop by before they headed back to Saudi Arabia.
He said they came to take advantage of the promotions for the inaugural Shop Qatar and happened to know of the activities in Souq Waqif which has been one of their favourite spots to visit whenever they come to Qatar.
The 15-day Souq Waqif festivities, which were held simultaneously with Old Souq Al Wakrah’s Spring festival, was organized in parallel with the month-long Shop Qatar festival which comprises promotions and raffle draws combined with entertainment and activities in malls and other venues.
Shop Qatar’s outdoor activities continue until tomorrow at the Hotel Park in front of Sheraton Doha Hotel where food carts and trucks offer a wide array of snacks along with entertainment and fireworks display.
The Doha Comedy Festival and Broadway musical Cats, which both run until tonight, also staged successful shows at Qatar National Convention Center yesterday.
