LA rock band Hoobastank is set to headline the ‘Big Day Out,’ Qatar’s first music festival and the biggest live music event to be held at the InterContinental Hotel beach on April 14 and 15. An international group of artistes, including Britain’s Toploader, Reggae/dub outfit Aswad, dance band Akcent and regional favourites Mashrou3 Leila, will perform full length sets throughout the two-day event. Local bands and artistes will also have an opportunity to share the big stage with performances from the United Rythem Band, Green Colour Thing, local hiphop/urban artist Trak, The Exiles, Kéyali Mayaga, Lorelei Loveridge, one-man music show Cronkite Satelite and Tarek Sidani performing an acoustic set. Organisers hope that the multigenre event will attract people who would not ordinarily attend music festivals, and have arranged a special family day for the first day of the event. Toploader, Kéyali Mayaga and Akcent will be among the musical attractions while children can enjoy face painting, jugglers, magic shows and other activities. Organisers say that this is just the beginning of Qatar’s live music experience as the Big Day Out may become an annual event. More live shows are expected to come in the near future. Big Day Out is hosted by the InterContinental Hotel. Tickets cost QR200 for Thursday and QR250 for Friday. Entry is free for children under 12. Tickets can be bought at www.timeoutdoha.com in the tickets section, at the InterContinental Hotel, Vodafone stores, Saqr Music, Columbiano and Crepaway. More information, including schedules, is available at www.thebigdayout.net In co-operation with online community site iloveqatar.net, a raffle will be held with prizes for the winners. Part of the proceeds from the event and those from the raffle will go towards charities supporting quake relief efforts in Japan.

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