There have been a lot of entertainment and edutainment activities especially for children this summer. Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) and its summer in Qatar campaign ushered in multifarious indoor activities to keep the people engaged.
We have seen music and comedy shows. There were special screenings of movies for children, and there have been different virtual reality gaming activities, playing facilities and cultural shows at different shopping malls.
However, the most popular and the busiest summer-related event so far has been the reopened Summer Entertainment City. The organisers were compelled to reopen the facility after over 55,000 people visited Doha Exhibition and Convention Center where the SEC earlier concluded on July 13.
The 29,000sqm facility, which has been dubbed as the Summer in Qatar campaign’s centrepiece, will again feature an array of rides, skill games, virtual reality (VR) and video games, live entertainment shows, food court, and pop-up shops.
During a recent visit by Community to the Entertainment City, that will run until August 23, the interest of the people during the Eid al-Adha holidays was quite visible as families – mostly Qataris – thronged the arena to enjoy various play areas for kids, dinning corners, shopping souq and cultural shows.
The organisers of the City have brought new attractions for the visitors along with the popular old facilities. The young children seemed to take interest in virtual reality gaming area and the different inflatable rides.
Chatting with different visitors revealed that the place has been a centre of attention for children and families during all the long summer days.
Abdulazeez Deeb, a Jordanian expatriate, was visiting the Entertainment City with his family. “I feel pretty relaxed with my wife as our children are enjoying different rides. This is the best place to be with your family in the evening during Eid holidays.”
Abdulazeez expressed his happiness over the availability of different inflatable rides and slides. “I see a majority of visiting children prefer to enjoy the inflatable material. They enjoy climbing up and sliding down with huge cries. I think this is the best area to play as the children get a lot of physical activity by jumping up and down and running around on the inflatable material with bare foots. It is fun and it is exercise. There is a scarce risk of children being injured as the inflated play area is very soft and bouncy.”
The visitors also spoke high about different edutainment activities for the children. “I liked the idea of having different scrambles and box games for the children. Once the kids get physically tired, they can enjoy these games. I see young children build houses with the blocks and try to solve different puzzles.”
Alexandaria Busch, a South African expatriate, was crazy about the virtual reality gaming section. “I think the VR area provides the best entertainment to young adults and other children.
“Games such as PUBG and Fortnite are very popular among the adults. We have seen groups of men coming and challenging each other at these games. Other popular video/arcade and VR gaming options for both children and adults include Pac-Man, Beat Sabers and FIFA.”
The South African has also shown her interest in the small souq that offers a variety of products from South Asian and Middle Eastern countries. “The souq is very unique for me. I see very colourful and traditional Arab clothes and attractive handicrafts. As majority of these items come visiting to Qatar and the souq provides a rare opportunity to buy unique things. I personally like different hand-made items such as handbags and utensils.”
The visitors also appreciated QNTC for organising a host of indoor and outdoor activities for the residents during summer. They termed the SEC the best place to keep the children busy during their free days.
FUN ACTIVITIES: Summer Entertainment City will run a vast variety of activiites until August 23
