Dubbed as “Capture Joy,” the festivities attracted a large number of residents who thronged popular venues such as malls, theatres, The Pearl-Qatar, Katara - the Cultural Village, Aspire Zone, and Al Dosari Zoo to spend their holidays with families and friends.
“The Eid in Qatar celebrations are designed with visitors and residents looking for a family-friendly getaway in mind and continue to attract impressive numbers every Eid,” Qatar Tourism Authority’s (QTA) Festivals and Tourism Events director Mashal Shahbik said in a press statement.
“At QTA, we work with our partners to develop a diverse annual events calendar, which helps further energise the hospitality and retail sectors during a typically off-peak season,” she noted.
Shahbik said that festivals and tourism events form part of the many avenues where QTA focuses to diversify the country’s tourism offering.
“Other avenues include developing the cruise tourism industry as well as expanding Qatar’s business events tourism,” she added.



Cast of Iftah Ya Simsim on stage to entertain mallgoers.

QTA-organised Eid events will run for five days and the daily celebrations culminate with a spectacular fireworks display at Katara at 11:15pm.
Echoing the statement of Shahbik, QTA’s Events and Festivals Technical Support head Hamad al-Khaja said they spread Eid celebration with visitors arriving at the Hamad International Airport and Abu Samra crossing with Eideya’s (Eid giveaway) being handed out.
“Visitors will find that this year’s Eid festivities run throughout the country at a number of malls, family entertainment and tourism hotspots including sports centres and museums,” he noted.
In partnership with QTA, Hyatt Plaza Shopping Mall also lined up a series of family-focused activities and entertainment shows to celebrate Eid al-Fitr this year.
The mall is hosting the only popular Arabic show across malls in Qatar, ‘Iftah Ya Simsim,’ as well as a number of other entertainment shows such as Tanoura, Oriental Dabka, and Qatari traditional performances.
“We are confident that the wide variety of activities in our mall will make it an ideal destination for visitors to both embrace the traditions and share the festive spirit of Eid al-Fitr,” general manager Feroz Moideen said.
He also lauded the efforts of QTA in creating a festive atmosphere and making Qatar a preferred destination for leisure tourism.
“Hyatt Plaza takes it up as our responsibility to play a vital role in accomplishing this vision,” Moideen stressed.
Other malls such as City Centre Doha also started entertaining mallgoers on Wednesday with its Alice in Wonderland show, giving children an opportunity to interact with the characters on stage. Other participating malls include Lagoona, Al Khor, Dar Al Salam, and Ezdan.