Curtain comes down on Eid festivities with region’s first giant balloon parade
FOLLOWING three days of celebrations along Doha’s iconic corniche, the Eid Al-Fitr festivities drew to a close. With delicious food experiences, carnival games played, and prizes won, this year’s Eid ended on a fun and spirited note.
The festival brought together crowds of families from Qatar and across the region, who were able to enjoy a public Eid celebration for the first time in two years. Qatar Tourism presented a range of entertainment programmes, suitable for diverse ages, including the region’s first giant balloon parade and daily fireworks. Visitors to the Doha Corniche were delighted by live performances while taking in the spectacular Doha skyline.
His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, said that festivals are part of Qatar Tourism’s strategy to grow and diversify Qatar’s tourism offering, particularly in the area of leisure and domestic tourism. “We are particularly pleased to have offered partners from across the tourism sector an opportunity to benefit from efforts to aid the recovery of the sector after a period that was marked with uncertainty across the globe.
We are also grateful to our partners including the Ministry of Interior and Ashghal for their support in organising this festival”, he said.
The first Eid Festival of its kind in the country was made possible thanks to the collaborative efforts of Qatar Tourism and its partners at the Ministry of Interior and Ashghal, who each played a critical role in making the pedestrianised area a safe and enjoyable meeting place for people of all ages.
As the sponsor of this year’s celebrations, Moza Khalid Al-Muhannadi, Director of CSR, Sponsorship and Media from Ooredoo commented, “We are delighted and proud to be sponsoring Eid Festival, and to be working with Qatar Tourism to offer Doha’s citizens and residents an Eid to remember. Supporting our local communities is a key priority for Ooredoo, as part of our corporate social responsibility strategy, and this event is the ideal opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to this strategy. We hope everyone enjoyed the event, and had a pleasant Eid holiday.”
The festivities, which ran along a 1.4km stretch of one of the capital city’s most-loved thoroughfares from 3-5 May, treated residents and visitors to an array of exciting family entertainment experiences including the region’s first-ever giant balloon parade with a marching band, roaming artists, carnival games as well as food trucks and kiosks. Daily live stage performances by renowned local and regional artists and Eid firework displays added to the excitement of the residents and visitors attending.