Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar, announced the reopening of the Dadu Gardens located at Al Bidda Park, in the heart of the International Zone of Expo 2023 Doha.
Operating for one year now under the theme Gardens’ Adventures, Dadu Gardens is set to offer a range of activities and programmes designed to engage and educate children, fostering their development through play and interaction with nature. It will remain in Al Bidda Park beyond the duration of Expo 2023 Doha.
As the first-of-its-kind publicly funded national entity in Qatar, Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar aims to empower the local community through its collective contributions towards enriching the cultural, environmental and social ecosystems in the country. Spanning an impressive 14,500 sqm, the Dadu Gardens serves as an outdoor gallery and a living classroom of the museum.
According to Museum Director Essa Al Mannai, Dadu Gardens Adventures puts in its core the same values as the Expo 2023 Doha, highlighting sustainability, the green economy, healthy habits, and the environment.
Public and private sector collaboration
Under the development of Qatar Museums, the construction of Dadu, Children’s Museum of Qatar is facilitated through collaboration between Qatar’s public and private sectors.
Donors making contributions of QAR3.65 million riyals or more become members of The Dadu Founding Family, a group that currently includes
- HH The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
- Awkaf (Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs)
- Baladna
- ConocoPhillips,
- DAAM
- ENI
- ExxonMobil
- Intesa Sanpaolo
- Baladiya (Ministry of Municipality)
- Ooredoo
- Shell
- SLB
- Total Energies
- Supernova
- Uniqlo
The Rumailah Group has also generously donated two six-seater golf carts for the Gardens Adventures. The golf carts will be used for transportation across the grounds and contribute to the day-to-day running of Dadu Gardens especially during the Expo 2023 Doha.
Nine distinct facilities
Dadu Gardens has been distinctly designed to cater to children under 12 years old, offering a diverse range of activities that encompass physical play, creative exploration, narrative adventures, and more. It uses the power of authentic play and engagement with nature to support children’s development.
As such, Dadu Gardens features nine distinct facilities:
- Edible Garden: A working garden where children and families are invited to be gardeners and tend to plants that provide harvest for programming activities taking place across the Gardens and at the Garden Atelier.
- Garden Atelier: An indoor/outdoor space that supports workshops for children, families and adults. Both spaces can be turned into kitchens for cooking workshops. As a multi-purpose space, it can also host many other activities.
- Community Garden: With its raised beds and gardening facilities, the Community Garden enables children and families to be farmers in the middle of the city, meet new people and strengthen community ties through gardening, farming and using fresh produce.
- Permaculture Showcase: The Permaculture Showcase is the beginning of what will eventually become Doha’s first City Centre Food Forest. This area is dedicated to showcasing permaculture in action, a holistic approach to farming, one that seeks to work with and not against nature.
- Kashta: A space that nurtures a love for nature exploration. Mud kitchens, a DIY adventure course and messy sensory play set in nature encourage children to get comfortable with the natural world. Kashta is a tribute to the popular pastime of camping out in the desert during the cool winter months to enjoy the clear starlit skies and natural environment.
- Amphitheatre: A family-friendly, multifunctional performance space. Its versatile stepped seating can be used in many ways including story picnics or as construction platforms for giant blocks.
- Events Plateau: The Events Plaza occupies the highest point of the Dadu Gardens site with views over Al Bidda Park to the Central Business District in the West and the Cultural Quarter to the East.
- The Promise Plaza: This Plaza features a specially commissioned sculpture by KAWS and can host programmes, busking activities and smaller exhibitions and art installations.
- Al Marj: This is the site for the future playground. Currently, this is being used as a gathering space for games and more. Al Marj, or meadows, are often cultivated by families in Qatar to create a scenic and cooler grassy area for socialising.
Activities at the Gardens’ Adventures during Expo 2023 Doha include creating artworks using natural materials, exploring the edible garden, learning about the world of worms, participating in gardening programmes, and gaining valuable insight into recycling.
The gardens will also feature monthly themes such as Dadu Children’s Month (November) and Heritage and Culture (December), as well as special events to keep visitors engaged and excited.
Dadu Gardens is open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 4 pm to 8 pm.
To ensure a safe and optimal environment for play, please note that Dadu Gardens follows a unique entry policy: every adult must be accompanied by a child under 12 years, while children need to be accompanied by an adult above 18 years. Youth between 12 and 18 years old are welcome to visit when accompanied by both.
To register for the Gardens’ Adventures, visit qm.org.qa.
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