Dadu Gardens reopens at Al Bidda Park

Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar, has announced the reopening of the Dadu Gardens, to be permanently located at Al Bidda Park, in the heart of the International Zone at the Expo 2023 Doha, as a beacon of education and fun for children aged under 12, along with their families and caregivers.With the theme 'Gardens’ Adventures, Dadu Gardens', which have been operational for one year, are set to offer a range of activities and programmes designed to engage and educate children, fostering their development through play and interaction with nature, and will remain in Al Bidda Park beyond the duration of Expo 2023 Doha.As the first-of-its-kind publicly funded national entity in Qatar, Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar aims to make the local community feel empowered through its collective contributions towards enriching the cultural, environmental, and social ecosystems.Spanning 14,500sqm, the Dadu Gardens serves as an outdoor gallery and living classroom of the Museum."The Dadu Gardens Adventures puts in its core the same values as the Expo 2023 Doha, highlighting sustainability, the green economy, healthy habits, and the environment,” Dadu, Children's Museum of Qatar director Essa al-Mannai said in a press statement. "We invite the public to discover our programmes, where children will have the opportunity to get involved in meaningful activities that will equip them with the skills to set and achieve their own learning journey, furthering our mission at Dadu to encourage all types of play to support and enhance children's learning.”Under the development of Qatar Museums (QM), the construction of Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar is being facilitated through a collaboration between Qatar’s public and private sectors.Donors making contributions of QR3.65mn or more become members of The Dadu Founding Family, a group that currently includes His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Awqaf (Ministry of Endowments & Islamic Affairs), Baladna, ConocoPhillips, DAAM, ENI, ExxonMobil, Intesa Sanpaolo, Baladya (Ministry of Municipality), Ooredoo, Shell, SLB, Total Energies, Supernova, and Uniqlo.Rumailah Group has donated two six-seater golf carts for the Dadu Gardens Adventures.Dadu Gardens feature nine distinct facilities where activities and programming are scheduled to take place:* Edible Garden: A working garden where children and families are invited to be gardeners and tend to plants that provide harvest for programming activities taking place across the Gardens but most especially in the Garden Atelier.* Garden Atelier: An indoor/outdoor space that supports workshops for children, families, and adults. Both spaces can be turned into kitchens for cooking workshops. As a multipurpose space, it can also host many other activities.* The Community Garden with its raised beds and gardening facilities, enables children and families to be farmers in the middle of the city, meet new people and strengthen community ties through the common interests of gardening, farming, and using fresh produce.* The Permaculture Showcase is the beginning of what will eventually become Doha’s first City Centre Food Forest. This area is dedicated to showcasing permaculture in action. Permaculture offers a holistic approach to farming, one that seeks to work with and not against nature.* Kashta: A space that nurtures a love for nature exploration. Mud kitchens, a DIY adventure course, and messy sensory play set in nature encourages children to get comfortable with the natural world. Kashta is a tribute to the popular pastime of camping out in the desert during the cool winter months to enjoy the clear starlit skies and natural environment.* The Amphitheatre is a family-friendly, multifunctional performance space. Its versatile stepped seating can be used in many ways including story picnics or as construction platforms for giant blocks.* The Events Plaza occupies the highest point of the Dadu Gardens site with views over Al Bidda Park to the Central Business District in the West and the Cultural Quarter to the East.* The Promise Plaza features a specially commissioned sculpture, by KAWS. The Plaza can host programmes, busking activities and smaller exhibitions and art installations.* Al Marj: This is the site for our future playground. In the present, this is being used as a gathering space for games and more. Al Marj, or meadows, are often cultivated by families in Qatar to create a scenic and cooler grassy area for socialising.Dadu Gardens will be open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 4pm-8pm.Dadu Gardens also follow a unique entry policy: every adult must be accompanied by a child aged under 12, while children need to be accompanied by an adult aged above 18.Youth aged between 12-18 are welcome to visit when accompanied by both.To register for the Gardens’ Adventures, please visit https://qm.org.qa/tickets/select-tickets/