The International Kite Festival takes place in katara, Doha and attracts visitors from many international destinations with 2 days of frenziedly wind-driven flying, culture and art, both ground-based and air-based. Katara has developed a kite festival tradition with its advantages of spacious beach and steady winds for kite watchers to enjoy the visual feast in the sky.
There is also another Kite festival in MIA Park where people sit down to watch the sky filled with thousands of kites. Every year at the Katara esplanade, internationally recognized Kiting Pilot teams from India, USA, China, South Korea and Japan boast their kiting skills. In addition, families enjoy a great variety of fun activities that included kiting workshops, face painting, street painting and much more.
During the Kite festival week, the seafront and nearby markets will be flooded with kite buyers and sellers. The kite shops will be open 24 hours a day with buyers and sellers negotiating and buying in bulk. Furthermore, many families in the outskirts of the city start making kites at home and setup small shops in their own homes.
The kite festival will be a day filled with activities and celebrations including kite flying, traditional food, dancing, live music, face painting for kids and storytelling.
History
The tradition of kite flying in Qatar has a history of over 100 years, crowned by the inception of the International Kite Festival. Kites are ubiquitous in Qatar and are made of whatever the children can catch their hands on. The art of professional kite-making is passed down generations, where master artists include styles and motifs unique to their workshops. Kites displayed in the festival have several meanings and are exquisitely beautiful. Kite-fighting (slashing the string of an opponent’s kite) is also considered very seriously and it’s addictive. However, there is no serious element in MIA park kite festival – no glass-powdered strings or anything, but it is a way to get families outdoor and having fun in a very authentic nod to the Qatari culture.
Doha Kite Festival, one of the top kite festivals in the world, is held at katara cultural village, and kicks off with a vibrant opening ceremony that incorporates traditional Qatari music, dances and of course colorful kite displays. Attracting top kiting pilot teams from across the world, the festival demonstrate ancient Qatari kites as well as the newest models made with contemporary materials and technologies.
Hordes of kite-flying fans from Qatar as well as around the world visit the Festival to soak up in the full flavor of the action. Watch out for all the kites and once they are united in the sky, soaring and swooping, the kites showcase the artistic craftsmanship of their creators, and present a feast for the eyes of all the visitors.
How to Go?
Katara is a cultural village in Doha and it is located on the eastern coast between the Pearl and West bay. Katara is located just after the Doha Exhibition Center. After the exhibition center, Turn left and take a U turn at the first possible location. Then take the first left and there you are, in Katara.
The MIA Park is located on the Corniche which runs around the west bay. The park is within walking distance of Souq Waqif and only 15 minutes drive from Hamad International Airport.
The route 76 bus stops just outside the museum gate whereas the best way to get to the museum is by taxi or car. The museum parking area has a taxi rank - taxis can also be hailed outside the museum’s front gate, on the Corniche.
A day at the Kite Festival
Everywhere in Doha there are high-rise buildings, housing communities and new shopping malls under construction is getting increased; definitely a country that wants to re-define itself as developing economic, techno savvy country however still the government is intended to stick to its age old tradition. So they are investing in festivals, activities and events to promote their culture. The Kite festival was something to be amazed with and no expense is spared. The fly field in katara is small while MIA park is large enough to hold many more kites than the visitors flew in last year festival. Spectators were given free toys and delta kites. There will be food vendors in the park; games for the children, a late night movie on an enormous out-door movie screen and a RC car track. On the festival day, the colorful kites hovering over whole of the park brighten up the skies. The kites-with-lights flown add to the fancy of the festival. One can not only feel the liveliness of people during these festivals, but can even get a wide exposure of culture of the country as these fairs and festival offer visitors with a holistic view of the heritage and art of Qatar.
Things to Remember
- There is enough parking in Katara, but the entry will be bottlenecked. So go early in the morning.
- Loads of kids went missing in last year kite festival. So watch out for the kids.
- Entry to the grounds is free.
- There will be trained volunteers on call throughout the festival to guide the visitors, drive ambulances, or even rappel down buildings to save thousands of birds wounded by the kite strings.
- Best sea view, nice track and surrounding lovely greeneries which will be a great escape from the chaos of the city.
Contacts
Phone: +974 4408 0000
Fax: +974 4408 1000
Email:[email protected]
To host your events at Katara:
Phone: +974 4408 0050/0978
Fax: +974 4408 1000
Email: [email protected]
