The 8th edition of Souq Waqif Local Dates Festival at Souq Waqif's Al Ahmad Square. Pic by Joelyn Baluyut/ The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: In the initial three days of the Souq Waqif Local Dates Festival, organisers reported sales of over 65,000kg of dates.
The festival showcased an array of 14 distinct varieties of dates, attracting an impressive number of visitors. The most popular choice among buyers was the Khallas variety, with a staggering 25,541kg sold. Following closely were Shishi, which recorded sales of 14,184kg, Khenaizi at 13,641kg, Barhi at 4,820kg, and other date varieties totalling 4,820kg.
The festival also offers various fruits for sale. According to Souq Waqif management, over the course of Thursday to Saturday, they saw sales of 400kg of figs and almonds.
The weekend saw a significant surge in the number of attendees, with hundreds of people flocking to the festival to purchase fresh and date-related products. Among the satisfied customers, Abdul from Syria expressed his enthusiasm for buying fresh dates at the festival due to their affordability and the opportunity to support local farmers. Meanwhile, Samantha from Kazakhstan commented that she was surprised to discover the availability of ice-cream-flavoured dates.
General Supervisor of the Festival, Khaled Saif Al Suwaidi, told The Peninsula that this year’s edition offered much more than the traditional experience of purchasing fresh dates. Visitors were treated to an exciting variety of date-based products, including cakes, tarts, smoothies, jams, and juices, he explained.
Over 103 local farms participate in this year’s festival. Prices of dates start from QR6 per kilo. One kilo of the popular Khalas date was priced at QR10, Khinaizi at QR8, and Nabth Saif, Lou Lou, Raziz, Gor, and others at QR6 per kilo.
The festival is open from 3:30pm to 9:30pm every day, except for Fridays, its open until 10pm and runs until August 5.
