While most of the residents are still in hangover of World Cup fiesta, fret not, 2023 Qatar calendar has a lot to offer, hosting local and international events from sports, fashion, food, music, and more.
Qatar Calendar, Qatar Tourism’s official portal for all exciting events said that: “2023 is the year of exciting events in Qatar, so get your festive hats on!”
“We have an action-packed calendar, we have about 300 days of events in 2023 — it’s a full calendar,” Qatar Tourism Chief Operating Officer, Berthold Trenkel said earlier.
Among the highlights of events according to Qatar Calendar are Qatar Balloon Festival, Katara International Arabian Horse Festival, Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, AFC Asian Cup, Expo 2023 Doha, Geneva International Motor Show Qatar, Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Qatar, Shop Qatar, Qatar Live and Qatar International Food Festival.
Taking place in two weeks from now, the third edition of Qatar Balloon Festival will run from January 18 to 28 at Old Doha Port featuring over 50 hot air balloons participating from around the world.
The second edition of Katara International Arabian Horse Festival will run from February 2 to 12 at Katara Esplanade.
The 19th edition of the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) is confirmed to return from February 20 to 25 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC). DJWE is a global platform for luxury products, with more than 500 international leading watch and jewellery brands, as well as Qatari designers, participating.
Heads up to couples who are planning to get married this year as the 9th Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) Congress, a globally renowned platform for wedding planners, connoisseurs, hoteliers, and professionals in the luxury wedding planning industry will take place from March 14 to 16. Venue is to be announced soon.
The Eid Festival which was introduced last year in May is also expected to return in 2023. For its first edition which ran for three days, it featured family entertainment experiences, including the region’s first-ever giant balloon parade, marching bands, daily firework displays, carnival games and food stalls.
Defending champions Qatar will host another football tournament — the AFC Asian Cup, for the third time after staging the 1988 and 2011 editions. The quadrennial international men’s football championship of Asia, organised by the Asian Football Confederation will involve 24 national teams for this year’s edition. Date for the tournament is yet to be announced.
Expo 2023 Doha, the second-largest global event in Qatar after the World Cup, will take place for six months, from October 2 to March 28, 2024, at Al Bidda Park. It is projected to draw over three million people, and participants from over 80 countries are expected to showcase their products, services, and research.
Geneva International Motor Show Qatar will run from October 5 to 14 at DECC and other notable locations in the city. The event has been designed to become a cutting-edge, first-of-its-kind motor show, bringing together the biggest players of the global automotive industry into a truly immersive space.
The Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix 2023 meanwhile will run from October 6 to 8 at Losail International Circuit. The popular racetrack will host one of the six F1 Sprint races planned for the 2023 season. Also a motor racing event, Grand Prix of Qatar is set on November 17 to 19, also at Losail International Circuit.
Shop Qatar will likewise return this year which celebrates the country’s wide range of retail, beauty and entertainment options and unfolds around popular Doha shopping malls. Usually this is being held from September to October.
Qatar Live is back again as it is set to bring some of the top musical artists in the Arab and the world to perform in the country. Last year, it was held coinciding the World Cup tournament, from November 20 to December 18. The 12th Qatar International Food Festival is back where the public can “discover delicious” and enjoy special culinary experiences. It was halted last year as the country hosted the World Cup. The event is usually being held from November to December at Al Bidda Park and Corniche Road.
