Friday, March 27, 2015

2015 Qatar International Food Festival

So the diet went out the window today as I spent this evening at the Qatar International Food Festival in the park at the Museum of Islamic Art. I wanted to go to opening night but I was busy so I settled for Friday night to go this year.

The Festival is really getting popular, a lot more people than last time. Check out the crowds:


Thankfully they did away with the ticket system that they used in the past (you had to go to a booth to buy tickets to redeem at the vendors -- created massive line-ups for tickets). Now you just pay the vendor for the food. You still had to wait in line at most places though because of how busy it was but I didn't wait longer than 5-10 minutes.

They also had the "Dinner in the Sky" that I saw in a previous festival, where they seat you on a platform which they then lift up in the air and you have dinner up there. Nice view I'm sure.


So what did I eat? Mostly samples of food from the big hotels or restaurants on the Pearl. Over the course of the evening I had a beef pie, some pasta arribiata, a small chicken dish, a slice of pizza, and a chocolate muffin. It was all pretty good. There were tons of booths so there was no way I could try it all. I then went to the far end of the park to watch the fireworks (they start around 8:50pm)

Because of the crowds I don't think there's any way you'll get parking close by so either use the shuttle service or maybe park at Souq Waqif and walk over. Be warned that due to the crowds there were long lineups for the restrooms.

The Festival ends tomorrow night so if you haven't been you still have a chance.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, Glen. My name is Damiano Zappi. I am italian and I live in Italy and work in the UAE. I was wondering if I can talk to you about a couple of business. Would you be so kind to mail me at djm_zappi@hotmail.com ? The reason is because you live in Doha and maybe you can help me out and then you can see if my ideas are ok or not. Thanks again for your time. Damiano

Glen McKay said...

Okay, I sent you an email.