Doha: After a few weeks of uncharacteristically wet weather, Qatar residents who attended the 2016 International Food Festival enjoyed moderate temperatures and the occasional cool breeze.
The festival, which concludes on Monday, attracted thousands of visitors as it coincided with the spring break for school children and Easter.
The festival — spread across three venues and seven days — was inaugurated by Shaikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson, Qatar Museums, and Minister of Economy and Commerce, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Jasem Al Thani, at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park last Tuesday.
One of the main attractions of the event has been the ‘Dinner in the Sky’ restaurant experience though the steep charge of 500 Qatari riyal (Dh503) per head has kept it well out of reach for most festival attendees.
Other high-end stalls, such as outlets of five-star restaurants, also recorded poor attendance.
Abdul Gaffar, an expatriate salesman originally from India, brought his young family to the main venue at MIA Park but wasn’t able to indulge his children as most of the items that caught their fancy were quite highly priced.
“My kids have really enjoyed being here in terms of entertainment but not so much in terms of food. They should have arranged more stalls in the cheaper price range,” he said.
Even those willing to spend more expressed the view that there were few local food items.
“I don’t want to eat burgers and pizzas from American chains. I’m from New York, I want to eat local food but I can hardly find any,” Owen Thompson, who is visiting from the US, told Gulf News when asked about his experience.
While the food experience may not have met expectations, there was no shortage of entertainment for people cutting across age groups.
Puppet shows, play areas and marching bands kept the children busy while a cooking theatre with live cooking demonstrations and lessons attracted those who are more serious about their time in the kitchen.
The standout feature, however, remained the five-minute fireworks display on the MIA Park creek scheduled around dinner time.
