Qatar Summer Festival (QSF) 2018 ended its nationwide festivities with a “final splash of colour” at Doha Festival City (DHFC) on Friday, following an 11-week run.
The closing ceremony on August 31 marked the last day of the festival and featured special live entertainment as well as QSF’s third raffle draw, which saw eight shoppers walk away with a Lamborghini Huracan and cash prizes worth QR350,000, the organisers said in a press statement Saturday.
Shoppers at DHFC during the QSF 2018 closing ceremony were in for a special surprise as key shops in the mall offered in-kind prizes presented by Harvey Nichols Doha, Virgin Megastore and The One.
In its fifth edition, Qatar’s longest annual festival invited residents and visitors to “colour their summer” through various retail and hospitality offerings, complemented by a host of entertainment and sports activities all across the country.
Kicking off its festivities on June 15 with the first day of Eid al-Fitr, QSF continued to run throughout the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia as well as Eid al-Adha.
Throughout the festival, 12 participating malls offered shoppers attractive promotions and offers as well as a chance to enter one of QSF’s three raffle draws for a chance to win QR2mn worth in prizes.
The winning coupons of QSF 2018’s third and final raffle draw are as follows: Lamborghini car - voucher No 383183; and QR50,000 – vouchers 371421, 179138, 321056, 267415, 457632, 437375 and 405540.
Nearly 50 participating four- and five-star hotels offered promotions on room rates as well as offers for beach and pool access, spa treatments and weekend brunch menus. In addition, the all-new Summer Pass mobile application’s deals feature offered money-saving promotions across entertainment centres, cinemas and hundreds of cafes and restaurants.
Mashal Shahbik, director of Festivals and Tourism Events at Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), said: “This year’s QSF offered unique new features, which grew its popularity and appeal for residents and visitors alike.
“Qatar’s growing calendar of annual festivals and events continues to provide opportunities for public and private sector partners to provide Qatar’s residents and visitors with enjoyable experiences, all while contributing to a sustainable national economy.”
A special feature of this year’s edition was the Qatar Fan Zone (QFZ) held at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena. Thanks to its live screenings of all 64 World Cup matches, more than 70,000 football fans were able to come together to live the excitement of the month-long tournament in a stadium-like atmosphere. Qatar Fan Zone was organised by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Ministry of Culture and Sports and QTA.
In addition to sports, QSF offered a number of cultural and arts events, including QFZ’s music performances that featured six stars from across the Arab world.
Later, in August, the Doha Comedy Festival (DCF)’s 2,413 ticket event was fully sold out. The show, organised by Social Studio, brought roars of laughter to Qatar National Convention Centre through a special performance by American superstar comedian Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias.
For family-friendly entertainment, the Summer Entertainment City returned to DECC attracting more than 110,000 visitors throughout QSF. The City was organised by QSF multi-year partner QSports.
Stretching over 29,000sqm of indoor space, it featured the world’s largest bouncy castle, an 18-hole mini-golf course, an ice skating rink, exciting rides and video games, live entertainment shows as well as food court and pop-up shops. In addition, all 12 participating malls hosted roaming shows and live children’s plays throughout QSF.
QSF in numbers
* 110,000+: Summer Entertainment City visitors
* 70,000+: Qatar Fan Zone visitors
* QR2mn: Total value of QSF raffle draw prizes
* 2,413: DCF tickets sold
* 47: Participating hotels
* 12: Participating malls
