Santa Claus, cartoon characters, a brass quartet and children’s choir rendering Christmas melodies, and a number of stalls offering a vast array of products were among the highlights of celebrations at Royal Plaza yesterday.
A good number of residents, children and grown ups alike, turned up throughout the day to enjoy the entertainment, visit the stalls and take in the Christmas spirit and cheer.
A tiny tot sporting the ‘paper antlers
“This is the first event of its kind this year among the malls in Qatar,” Royal Plaza’s public relations and events co-ordinator Shyam La Brooy told Gulf Times.
The Christmas market day, which ran from 10am to 8pm, featured over 40 stalls filled with a variety of handicrafts, garments, festive decorations, and homemade products.
“The demand from vendors was overwhelming and we had some on the waiting list as well,” the official explained.
Ushering in the spirit of the season with Christmas classics were a brass quartet led by Chris Coull of Doha Jazz.
‘Jingle Bells,’ ‘Away in a manger,’ and ‘We three kings of orient are’ were among the melodies rendered by the brass musicians.
“There is nothing like a good brass band to set the festive mood,” a listener remarked in appreciation after enjoying one of the sessions.
Santa Claus was kept busy with a steady flow of little visitors for the ‘Take a photo with Santa’ opportunity. A cheerful Santa had tiny tots, and even some adults, all around even as parents clicked away merrily.
Among the attractions for the tiny tots were the ‘paper antlers’ and holiday activity pads given out for free.
The photo opportunity with Santa will return to Royal Plaza from December 16 to 22, from 5pm to 7pm daily, as the Christmas festivities moves towards its peak.
Cartoon characters also attracted a good number of children. Batman, Minnie Mouse, Bumble Bee, Snoopy, Curious George, and Hello Kitty kept their fans busy.
While some of the children were content to have their picture taken with their favourite cartoon character, some inquisitive ones were seen trying to pry off the masks of the costumed individuals.
As the clock inched towards 4pm, the choir of Park House English School got ready to present a selection of evergreen Christmas carols.
‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘Frosty the Snowman’ were among the songs rendered by the energetic young musicians over the next one hour, much to the delight of the audience.
The upcoming festive activities at Royal Plaza include ‘Decorate your own little Christmas tree’ on December 21 from 5pm to 6pm (registration required), and ‘Decorate your own baubles’ on December 22 (5pm to 6pm).
‘Guess how many candy canes’ and ‘Santa’s letter box’ are open through the day until December 19. Royal Plaza has also set up a barrel for ‘Donate a toy,’ an initiative meant to bring some cheer to the less fortunate.
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