- Music festivals, cultural activities, and new museums await visitors before and during the football World Cup.
Doha, Qatar – Not only 32 of the best football teams on the planet and more than a million football fans are heading to Qatar this month.
Some of the world’s most famous entertainment stars are also on their way to the Gulf country, which has announced a series of events and activities to offer visitors and residents more than just football.
Qatar is bursting onto the world stage later this month with an estimated five billion people, more than half of Earth’s population, expected to tune in to FIFA World Cup games. With the world watching, Qatar is determined to put on a show.
Dozens of hotel and leisure complexes have been built in the 12 years since Qatar received the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup. New entertainment venues, beaches, resorts, museums, and restaurants – it’s all part of the package.
No less than three music festivals are being held simultaneously while the World Cup is underway. Fans will be able to enjoy acts such as Black Eyed Peas and Armin van Buuren.
Enrique Iglesias played at Doha Golf Club on Friday, and the same venue is expected to host the Black Eyed Peas.
The Arcadia Festival, with three iconic stages, will attract more than 100 international artists and will run from November 19 to December 19, one day after the World Cup final.
The event includes a 50-ton fire-breathing Spider and a heavy laser reactor stage. Daydream Festival, meanwhile, is taking over the famous Doha Golf Club which hosts electronic acts including Tiesto, Alesso, ATB, and Paul van.
Qatar’s iconic Museum of Islamic Art reopened to the public last month. Among the wave of new visitor openings in 2022 was the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum.
More than 1.2 million fans are expected to travel to Qatar to watch the World Cup. Almost 2.9 million tickets have been sold.
Apartments, hotel rooms, desert camps, villas, fan villages, and even cabins on moored cruise ships have been made available to fans coming to Qatar. Some fans will opt to stay in the UAE, Oman, and Iran, flying on “transport” flights to watch football before returning without having to spend the night in Qatar.
The country has reported an influx of international arrivals that is currently at a five-year high, with 151,000 visitors showing up in September alone. Arrivals from other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations accounted for 44 percent of total international arrivals, led by Saudi Arabia, which accounted for nearly 30 percent of the total figures, according to the Qatar Tourism Authority.
Qatar 2022, host organizers, said “Qatar will host a wide range of cultural and entertainment options for the whole family” during the World Cup.
“The national festival will include more than 90 special events that will be held on the sidelines of the tournament… Major events will feature match viewing areas, music festivals, cultural exhibitions, and street performances,” he said.
In the capital, Doha, the Corniche has been pedestrianized since early November, and the 6-km (3.7-mile) stretch of waterside road “will have a carnival atmosphere with traveling performances, cultural activities, food and drink stalls, and outlets.”
Given the numbers, Qatar is expected to deploy tens of thousands of security forces to ensure a smooth World Cup.
The host country has signed numerous security cooperation agreements with several countries, including Morocco, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and NATO.
Source: AL JAZEERA
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