Qatar Balloon Festival reinvigorates Old Doha Port as a tourist destination

A large number of Qatar residents and visitors found the recently concluded Qatar Balloon Festival “an exceptional and unique experience”.

In its third edition, the event was held from January 19 to 28, with Qatar Tourism as the strategic partner. Doha Festival City was a platinum sponsor of the event.

This year, the event expanded its scope significantly from the previous iterations, with balloon flights taking off from multiple locations around Qatar, including Lusail City, Aspire Zone, Sealine Beach, and its main location, the Old Doha Port, where crowds were treated to daily shows and attractions. The event had a remarkable effect on the old port, significantly increasing its footfall and making it one of the most visited places in Doha during the last period.

This year’s bigger and better version provided thousands of adventurous riders from around the world the opportunity to fly in over 50 balloons from 17 different countries. The balloons took off over the Doha skies every morning, colouring the skies and allowing their passengers to savour breath-taking views of the city and the sand dunes from over 30 metres in the air. Attractions and activities during the event included music, live performances, and shows to entertain the crowds, as well as a wide variety of international cuisines at the food kiosks, and a children’s area filled with activities and inflatable toys. The event also featured the ‘Night Glow’ shows, during which the balloons lit up the evening sky with dazzling displays.

Robert Hall, General Manager for Doha Festival City said, “We are proud of our contribution to the success of the third edition of this amazing event. As one of Qatar’s largest malls and a leading shopping, dining and entertainment destination, we look forward to supporting more events, offering visitors engaging experiences and memorable moments inside our mall and beyond not only to our mall’s visitors, but to all visitors to Qatar as well.”

Earlier this year, the Mall unveiled its new brand motto “It’s my place, my choice” tailored for 2023, with the aim of bolstering its position in the market as the ultimate destination for shopping, dining, and entertainment, while further diversifying its offering, activations, and events to provide a truly bespoke experience to its visitors.