Thursday night’s thunderstorm has failed to dampen the spirits of the general public, many of whom flocked to major weekend and family destinations around Doha yesterday.
Despite a handful of events being staged at Katara the Cultural Village, many families could be seen enjoying the amenities of Katara Beach while some visitors gathered near the amphitheatre area where other activities like gondola rides, an interactive maze and the Katara Market were being staged.
South of Katara is the Magical Festival Village where many families also trooped despite the lack of covered spaces. The village features many shops and boutiques, and a range of food kiosks and restaurants.
One of the many attractions of the Magical Festival Village is the towering “Cinderella Castle” where regular shows are being held outside such as two “castle lighting shows” and a parade.
Aside from the performances, the real crowd-drawer at the castle are the life-sized movie characters like the Xenomorph (the creature from the film “Alien”), the Predator creature, Storm Troopers, Chewbacca and C-3PO of the Star Wars fame, and two Iron Man characters.
A restaurant staff, who spoke to Gulf Times, said the thunderstorm on Thursday evening did not discourage their regular customers and many visitors from returning to the area.
“It seems like nothing had happened last night, and we still have a packed weekend. But compared to other Fridays, we are not that crowded as of this afternoon. But later tonight, we are expecting more customers to arrive,” she said.
Narrating his experience at the Magical Festival Village at the height of the thunderstorm, Filipino expatriate Paolo Gonzales said he and his family managed to reach the parking lot before heavy rains pummelled the area.
“It was already raining when we left for the parking lot and we made the right decision to leave because aside from the heavy rains, the strong winds knocked down some of the outdoor umbrellas of restaurants.
“On our way home, it was zero visibility and most motorists relied on other vehicles’ rear and hazard lights to navigate through the storm. The traffic lights at one of the signals in West Bay were bent because of the strong winds,” explained Gonzales, who added that his family decided to return to the Magical Festival Village because of its amenities.
Despite the cancellation of  “A Passage to India” festival, organised by the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park, many Indian expatriates, as well as other Arab, Asian and European expats visited the park. Many bachelors and families were also seen along the Corniche, as well as families and children at the Souq Waqif Park on the opposite side of the road.