Eid activities at Katara.
Visitors to the Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) were treated to a kaleidoscope of events and activities, with organisers pulling out all the stops to make this year’s festivities a truly memorable experience for Qatar’s residents.
Each year, the organizers of the Eid festivities present an array of events that combine the religious and cultural fervour of Eid with interactive entertainment, ensuring that they appeal to all age groups. The festivities mirror the ceaseless efforts of the Cultural Village to offer the best and finest in entertainment, while promoting world-class talents in art, culture, literature, theatre and music.
Judging from the inaugural day, this year’s celebrations are on course to surpass those of the previous years, in sheer scale and variety.
Visitors to this year’s gala were treated to performances that were inspired by the region’s history and heritage. The highlights of the celebrations include a series of mesmerizing shadow theatre performances based on the Tales of the Arabian Nights. The show, which makes use of light and sound effects, is a beautiful example of how technology blends with tradition to present history and culture in an appealing yet elegant manner.
The shadow theatre performances are based on the Arabian tales, the history of the Roman Empire, Alice in Wonderland and the all-time favourite, Aladdin. The shows, which are half an hour each, take place thrice each evening, with the first show held from 6.30pm to 7.00pm, the second from 7.45pm to 8.15pm and the last show taking place between 9.00pm to 9.30pm.
The most important aim of this year’s festivities is to bring happiness into the hearts of children, and the rest of the family. The shadow theatre, while entertaining, also helps a child acquire knowledge, fosters creativity and teaches values to children.”
Apart from the shadow performances, live acrobatic shows too, were staged during the evening, and were seen to be a huge hit amongst younger visitors. Keeping in mind that celebrations are meant to convey a sense of joy and surprise, the organizers presented gifts to children, much to the delight of their young guests. The distribution of gifts will continue to take place between 7.00 pm and 8.15 pm each day.
Fireworks displays have been a long-standing and much-loved feature of every Eid celebration at Katara. This year, visitors who had assembled at Katara’s beachfront found their wait well worth it, as the pyrotechnic display was one of the best to be organized by the Cultural Village so far, and was seen by many as a fitting finale to the first day’s events. The fireworks display is held at 9.30 pm each evening and will continue until the fourth day of the festivities.
