Night at Lusail Sky Festival - my unexpected experiences

Living in Qatar as an expat, I like its vibrant celebrations. Lusail's Sky Festival at Al Saad Plaza from April 3–5, 2025 was no exception. Running from 4:00 to 10:00 PM, the celebration featured laser displays, skywriting, aerial acts, and fireworks.

 

We arrived around 8:30 PM hoping to witness the highlights of the evening. Fireworks illuminated the sky as we neared the site; security at 8:45 informed us the event had finished early and sent us back to the metro station. But  seeing  the   crowd we rather sought refuge at a café.

 

 Getting us in the area required negotiating with the security personnel; finally we found a peaceful spot. After relaxing we decided to return to  the metro station , But  the crowd  was compelled to stroll in a fenced path and not into the direction of the metro but in the opposite direction to Lusail's high structures. It was an unusual long trek. The elderly, pregnant ladies, and young families were worn out. Some worn-out individuals were given a golf cart ride to the metro station, a small comfort in an otherwise challenging walk.

The subway trip was seamless. Given the itinerary indicated more time to appreciate the celebrations, we questioned why so much forced walking was required following the events of the night.

Big events call for effective crowd control and communication.   Hoping future festivals find a better balance between grandeur and attendee comfort.​

احتفال استثنائي لا مثيل له، شهد حضور أكثر من 340,000 زائر! ✨ استعيدوا أروع اللحظات من مهرجان سماء لوسيل، من العروض الجوية الخلّابة إلى الفعاليات الترفيهية التي لا تُنسى.#Lusail #Thatsmyaddress pic.twitter.com/6CpYyWOvvi

— Lusail City (@Lusail_City) April 7, 2025

 An exceptional celebration like no other, attended by more than 340,000 visitors! Relive the most wonderful moments from the Lusail Sky Festival, from breathtaking air shows to unforgettable entertainment events.

 

Souq Waqif experience during the World Cup 2022

 

During the World Cup, I didn't plan to go to the Souq Waqif at all. I really like this place, but I try to stay away from it when it's busy.

 I simply wanted to see a play at their theater. It was a pleasant experience. The only issue was that there was no buffet in the theatre, so by the time the play ended, we were starving. 

What a wonderful way to make this evening unforgettable!

 A Souq Waqif dinner seemed like a nice idea to me. 

However, it was not. It was packed with ecstatic soccer fans. Moroccans, Saudis, Tunisians - a large number of Spanish-speaking people - a few Europeans - I recognized and heard a few Croatians. Some Poles were swearing. 

The air was thick with the aroma of grilled food, waterpipe smoke, and the sweating of the crowd. It was way, way more crowded than I thought it would be. We decided not to have dinner then . Okay, I thought maybe after the World Cup we'd get our Souq back and postponed the family dinner idea. 

WE walked to the nearest Metro station. There was an African employee with a sense of humor whose job was to announce over the loudspeaker. Metro - Metro - Metro . He must have grown tired of his motonon job. He tried to make it more entertaining by changing the intonations of this word.To spice up his announcement, he added "Hakuna matata" in a soothing tone, which put a smile on all of our faces.

 I noticed something else that made me smile as we were leaving the station. A Korean or Japanese family with a young child, with the father dressed in traditional Qatari attire from head to toe.A new trend among tourists here. 

After all, it's fun to see so many different kinds of people here, I thought as I was eating a cold sandwich from the metro station.