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Fifth Qatar Summer Festival edition adds colours to summer

Published: 19 Jun 2018 - 11:29 am | Last Updated: 01 Nov 2021 - 03:14 am
Kids enjoy a ride at the Entertainment City in Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre as part of the fifth edition of Qatar Summer Festival.

Kids enjoy a ride at the Entertainment City in Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre as part of the fifth edition of Qatar Summer Festival.

By Amna Pervaiz Rao | The Peninsula

DOHA: The fifth edition of Qatar Summer Festival (QSF), being held under “Colour Your Summer” theme, is attracting citizens and residents alike particularly the Entertainment City at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) has become a major attraction for kids due to its exciting rides and skill games among others.

The participating malls in the Qatar Summer Festival have also set-up special free entertainment shows for shoppers and families looking for some indoor fun. The shows were performed thrice a day on rotation at all participating malls during three days of Eid Al Fitr.

The Entertainment City, part of Qatar Summer Festival’s activities which has been set up at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre, has become families’ favourite specially for kids.

The city’s key features include the world’s largest bouncy castle, an 18-hole mini-golf course, an ice skating rink, exciting rides, skill games, video games, as well as live entertainment shows.

Food court has over 40 outlets to indulge in and Summer Shopping Souq has over 140 stores to explore.

Visitors to the City are also able to watch thrilling 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia matches on huge screens while enjoying food, beverages and shopping options. Individual game prices range from QR10 to QR35.

The Gold Pass for QR150 gives one an access to as many as forty rides or activities as per visitor’s choice as well access to five VR games. The Gold Pass are also available online through Q-Tickets platform.

This year, another facility — The Season Pass — has been introduced worth QR699 which is available for purchase online and at the venue. By buying this special pass, one will get a Gold Pass on daily basis with all its features. The Season Pass allows one person to enjoy unlimited visits to The Summer Entertainment City till its scheduled end on August 31. The Season Pass is valid only for the person mentioned on the pass and it cannot be transferred and can also not be used by multiple people. “This year I see an increase in number of rides and the souq has played a better role in Entertainment City. kids have enjoyed their golden passes whereas we have enjoyed the souq,” a mother of two kids said. 

When asked to comment on this year’s Entertainment City, another visitor said: “This year we had to delay our vacations due to the exciting Qatar Summer Festival activities especially The Entertainment City. It was an exciting experience though I think it is somewhat costly but Gold Pass option makes it cheap.” 

Wide range of promotions on different shops under Qatar Summer Festival are also pulling a large number of customers who are availing ongoing amazing discount offers. Participating malls have stepped up efforts to attract more customers by offering attractive offers like “buy two get two free”, “buy one get one free” and 20% to 50% off on many items.

The participating malls include Al Khor Mall, Al Mirqab Mall, B Square Mall, Doha Festival City, Gulf Mall, Hyatt Plaza, Landmark Mall and Mall of Qatar. Lagoona Mall is also participating with special World Cup activities, allowing shoppers to watch the tournaments matches live.

The staff at several stores witness increase in sales during QSF. “As the summer vacations are around the corner people try to shop as much as possible which makes them avail these amazing offers as well. These offers make them easier to buy gifts for people back home,” a staff member at Bath and Body Works told The Peninsula.

Meanwhile, retailers at 11 participating malls are offering up to 50 percent discounts and special promotions. For every QR200 spent at any of the outlets in Qatar Summer Festival’s participating malls, shoppers can enter three raffle draws for a chance to win one of 27 exciting cash prizes worth QR2,000,000 or a car. 

“These offers make the job easy. Kids get a wide variety of garments and shoes to be chosen for their vacations. I stock-up some clothes for kids during these ongoing amazing offers being provided by QSF,” said a customer at New Yorkers located at Mall of Qatar. 

This year people will be able to fully enjoy Qatar Summer Festival (QSF) with the help of newly-launched QSF Summer Pass mobile application which offers a comprehensive guide for all the events and offers under QSF’s umbrella which is set to be launched on June 22.  

All throughout the Qatar Summer Festival, nearly 50 of Qatar’s five- and four-star hotels are also providing a range of offers and discounts on brunches, beach and pool access, accommodation and spa treatments.