Qatar Museums chairperson HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani officially opened the seventh Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF) at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park yesterday.
Running until March 28, the seven-day culinary event is expected to attract a large number of local and international visitors.
Sheikha Al Mayassa and Sheikh Ahmed were joined by Chinese ambassador Li Chen in striking a Chinese gong to highlight the Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture, which forms part of the celebration this year.
Besides trying a ‘healthy juice’ prepared by global lifestyle personality Martha Stewart, the dignitaries also watched a special cooking presentation by MIA’s Food and Beverage executive chef Frederique Larquement and chef Aisha al-Tamimi at the Live Cooking Theatre.
A traditional Dragon dance also welcomed Sheikha Al Mayassa and other guests at the Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture dedicated zone. A number of stalls offer visitors a variety of Chinese, Qatari delicacies and fusion cuisine.
From MIA Park’s Water Court, Sheikha Al Mayassa was ferried by a water taxi to The Pearl-Qatar and Katara – the Cultural Village, two of the festival’s satellite venues.
As part of QIFF’s new activation this year, a number of water taxis will be used to give visitors a traffic-free ride between the three venues.
Tickets can be bought at the marina water gate in each of the locations for QR25 one way, according to QTA’s Festivals and Tourism Events director Mashal Shahbik.
“We always think how to enlarge QIFF for visitors and one option we suggested this year is the water taxi along with the limousine, Uber and bus services,” she told a press briefing yesterday. Water taxis will operate between 4pm and 9.15pm.
In co-ordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, QIFF also allotted special visiting hours (9.30am to 1pm) from March 24-28, to students from different schools in Qatar.
Prior to the actual celebration, QTA also visited schools in Doha and partnered with Qatar culinary professionals to hold some demonstrations aimed at educating children on healthy lifestyles.
“Students will stay at the Cooking Theatre for a fun cooking session, they will go to the entertainment stage and see different kind of shows led by some TV characters,” said Fatma al-Sayed from QTA’s festivals and tourism events.
“They will also go to the health zone for a workshop.”
The festival will be open to the public between 1pm and 10.30pm while fireworks display will take place daily at 8pm.
“This year’s festival is our best yet,” Qatar Tourism Authority’s (QTA) chief Marketing and Promotions officer Rashed al-Qurese said, as he lauded the efforts of co-organisers Qatar Airways and their new partners, United Development Company and Katara.
He stressed that visitors and residents across the city will have the opportunity to experience “a world of flavours” in this year’s unique culinary celebration.