WITH time off work to celebrate the Eid al-Adha holidays, many people have been visiting the traditional surroundings of Souq Waqif to meet friends and family and enjoy special performances organised in the area. Souq Waqif is a popular destination year-round for the residents of Doha, who regularly visit the newly-renovated area for shopping, dining and general socialising, especially during the evenings. During Eid there have been a number of shows being given in the Souq, featuring dancers, jugglers and other performers dressed in a variety of colourful and flamboyant costumes. One onlooker told Gulf Times that she had particularly enjoyed the performance of one of the jugglers. “I think he was from Europe,” she said, adding “he had the biggest crowd around him, and he was really good at getting everyone involved in his act.” Another person at the show said she had enjoyed the large ‘slinky-like’ dancers, and also the dancers dressed as statues. “The giant peacocks walking around were also really impressive and caught everyone’s attention,” she added. One Western expatriate, who is a regular visitor to the area said that she had really enjoyed going there yesterday evening: “The atmosphere was really nice. Everyone seemed really happy with families and people of all ages enjoying themselves.” “It really felt that there was a sense of community and everyone joining together to celebrate the occasion,” she added. Although it is getting colder in the evenings now, and people feel the need to wrap up, this time of the year represents a good time to avoid the oppressive heat and enjoy the more temperate evenings. And during Eid, the souq has been consistently busy with people shopping in the evenings, and enjoying the atmosphere and celebratory performances taking place there before the shops open. http://gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=259727&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

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