The thirteenth edition of the Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF) concluded last 17 February after a successful 11-day run at the Family Zone Doha Expo 2023 at Al Bidda Park with lots of flavours, live classes, performances, and cultural fun.

 

This year, QIFF saw record-breaking numbers, with the highest number of visitors on a single day in its history – 24, 000 on Qatar National Sports Day (13 February) and total number of attendees throughout the festival was an impressive 266,698 visitors.

The closing day was attended by HE Saad bin Ali AlKharji, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Eng Abdulaziz Ali AlMawlawi, Chief Marketing and Promotion Officer of Qatar Tourism, among other dignitaries where they took a tour at the festival.

 

During its course, the festival provided visitors with ample opportunities to experience gastronomic activations, such as F&B stalls, live cooking shows, and children’s entertainment. QIFF 2024 hosted over 100 cuisines with a variety of different kinds of foods.

Hessa Al-Thani, Head of Marketing Planning at Qatar Tourism, highlighted the significance of the Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF) as one of the longest-running events and the premier food festival in Qatar’s calendar. QIFF 2024 attracted a diverse array of visitors of all ages, genders, and nationalities, reaffirming its importance and popularity in its 13th edition. ‘For such legacy events we strive to annually upgrade our programs, introduce new attractions, and themes. We extend our gratitude to all participants, partners, and visitors for contributing to the festival’s triumph, and we remain committed to showcasing Qatar as a premier destination for culinary exploration on the world stage.’

Key Highlights

Dinner in the Sky 

The ‘Dinner in the Sky’ programme allowed visitors to have meals on a platform 40 metres high in the air three times a day at High Tea, Sunset Flight, and Dinner. Visitors were buckled into the seats, then elevated and served meals with some of the most scenic views of the city.

Click here to check out Marhaba’s Dinner in the Sky experience.

Paramotor Shows

QIFF 2024 displayed paramotor shows daily at night. Visitors enjoyed watching drone shows with fireworks which flew across the sky in various patterns, contrary to conventional firework shows. 

The Cooking Studio

One of the most popular activations at QIFF this year was the Cooking Studio wherein local and international world-class chefs demonstrated live cooking.

Chef Zarmig, owner of Mamig Restaurant, ran the cooking shows alongside renowned chefs from Qatar as well as regional and international. Chef Mohammed Jassem Abdullah demonstrated his signature ‘Shrimp Majboos’ dish. Turkish Chef Dora Nuket presented an artistic cake décor, while Chef Eric Lanlard made special French desserts, to name a few.

Three football legends from Paris Saint-Germain, Ronaldinho, Makalele, and Pastore, also assisted a live cooking session with Chef Alexandre Guillo.

Healthy Bites

As QIFF coincided with Qatar National Sports Day this year, there were plenty of healthy options and demonstrations that encouraged healthier nutrition to visitors. Chef Hamad Alhajri prepared the ‘Qatari Healthy Majboos’ on Sports Day at the Cooking Studio. The panel discussion ‘Vegan Talk: from farm to table, nutrition and more’, was hosted with plant-based Chef Gaz Oakley, sustainable entrepreneur Ghanim Al Sulaiti, vegan Chef Lorena Loriato, and health coach Layla Al-Dorani, who discussed veganism and health. Healthier options included Evergreen Organics, Game Changer, Torba Market, and more. 

The Lounge

Aura Hospitality & Food Services hosted the ‘Luxury Court’ at this year’s festival. Restaurants included Beef Bar, Viva La Vida Qatar, Sazeli Qatar, Bagatelle Beach Club, and Berenjak, which provided a fine-dining luxury experience to visitors.

Qatar Calendar Booth

The Qatar Calendar interactive booth was nestled at QIFF this year as a platform for visitors to engage with representatives of  Qatar’s events calendar for 2024. With Qatar hosting over 80 unique events this year catering to people of all ages and tastes, the Qatar Calendar booth was an important part of QIFF to raise awareness about the touristic landscape of the country.

Popular Kiosks

QIFF saw a large number of visitors every day with a few kiosks being the most popular. ‘Koshari Abou Tarek’, one of the international stalls this year from Egypt, saw one of the longest lines at QIFF, with over 40 people in line at a time. ‘Milky Ice’ sold Qatar’s tallest ice cream and had one of the longest waiting lines due to its popularity amongst children.

A multitude of entertainment

QIFF 2024 was packed with a range of different entertainment shows suitable for families and people of different tastes. There were live musical performances by bands on the main stage, as well as individual performers embedded throughout the kiosks area. Several parades ran throughout QIFF’s open space, with an opportunity for visitors to take pictures with lively costumed characters. Other entertainment included cooking workshops, documentary and film screenings, as well as AFC Asian Cup 2023™ screenings.

 

For more information about Qatar International Food Festival, please visit their website or follow them on Instagram at @qiff.qa

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