Qatar 365 gets a taste of flavours in the sky and on the taste buds, with two yearly festivals that have become crowd favourites, from exciting new offerings at the Qatar International Food Festival to wacky characters at the Qatar Kite Festival.
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00:00I create huge artwork that will disappear.
00:05And I love this concept that maybe I can let traces in memories, but not on the planet.
00:13Hello and welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Laila Humaira.
00:17On this episode, we take you around the country's popular yearly festivals.
00:22It's a chance for people of all ages together to spend some quality time together.
00:27But first, I'm here at Hotel Park, the site of the biggest ever edition of the Qatar International Food Festival.
00:35And this year, it's back with some exciting new features. Let's go find them.
00:41These fireworks kept visitors and foodies entertained for 10 straight days,
00:46decorating the night sky for everyone to enjoy the colourful display in the sky and bursts of different flavours on their palettes.
00:57Over 100 stalls, nearly 30 international restaurants and cafes, a special kids' zone and an eating competition.
01:05It's the most dynamic addition of the food festival yet, but that's not all.
01:10A new addition to the festival line-up is the Michelin Village.
01:14With the launch of the Michelin Guide Qatar last December,
01:17here you can find a few Michelin start restaurants from all over the world.
01:21Like the two Michelin start aramburu all the way from Argentina.
01:25So, if you've ever wondered what it's like to taste Michelin-recognized cuisine, this is the place.
01:31It's the place.
01:32We brought three dishes.
01:37One that is very local from there, we call it zumita, which has a lot of choclo bases.
01:43And then we have the typical meat in Argentina.
01:46We brought a piece of meat, juicy meat, with a classic sauce from there called chimichurri.
01:52Aramburu is the first Argentine chef to be awarded two Michelin stars.
01:57He also made the list of the best chefs' top 100 chefs in the world in 2023.
02:03While Aramburu is more used to serving up 18 course menus,
02:07he's happy to offer a taste of his award-winning dishes in Qatar.
02:11Well, the first time in Qatar, in Doha, in this wonderful and unique festival.
02:17The truth is that the vibration of the people is very good.
02:22The people are very friendly.
02:24The environment is unique.
02:26And I'm very happy to participate in the Michelin village.
02:29I think the dish is something, but I think the global context
02:33and the spirit of the festival festival is the most important.
02:38Just next door is the one Michelin star Araya.
02:42The restaurant is located in Singapore, but its roots also trace back to South America,
02:48where chef Francisco Araya says the classic empanada is the best sampler.
02:53So what we're doing is a bit more casual street food kind of thing that we do in Chile.
02:57So we have a classic empanada made with the beef.
03:00On top there's a sauce called pebre, which helps to add a seat in the empanada.
03:04Empanada is just wonderful.
03:06Empanada is just this little pocket of love that you must try.
03:09Outside the Michelin village are at least five other zones with endless dining options,
03:17including Global Bites featuring international restaurants and eateries.
03:22Visitors can get a taste of delicacies from all over the world,
03:27from trendy tenders of Miami's soul fly chicken to the diverse offerings of Africana from the UK.
03:34Africana is an African-inspired restaurant, so we have a lot of flavours from different parts of Africa,
03:39from South Africa all the way up to kind of North Africa.
03:42Different dishes with different spices, different flavours, very diverse continent.
03:46My favourite item is the curry goat.
03:48It's seasoned but in curry with jollof rice and plantain and must fry for everybody.
03:52We also have peri wings with Africana signature sauce and chicken tenders.
03:57So a diverse range of items, but I think curry goat for me is probably the most important.
04:02Meanwhile, soul fly chicken started as a food truck roaming around the streets of Miami in 2021.
04:08Since then, Chef Raoul Cunningham says the love for fried chicken and southern cuisine has gone global.
04:16It's the way of the world.
04:18Again, fried chicken is comforting in many fashions.
04:21It's something that you would sit down and have as a family meal.
04:24It's something that's labour intensive.
04:26So now being able to offer it to people, you know, on the go, it's just spreading the love.
04:33Soul Fly is also trying to change the image of fried chicken as an unhealthy meal,
04:39using a Soundwave technology cooking method so patrons can enjoy the food without worrying about the weighing scale.
04:47We're using technology that allows our chicken to be 30% less calorie and 30% less fat, oil.
04:55And the soul is the seasoning and the methods that we go into marinating and frying our chicken.
05:02That put my mind at ease as we sample soul fly chicken's signature dishes, the juicy chicken tenders and the classic chicken sandwich to cap off the evening.
05:13As the saying goes, a full stomach makes for a happy heart.
05:17And soul fly chicken hopes to win enough hearts and taste buds in Qatar to come back for good.
05:23That's what the joy is about it.
05:25In hopes, you know, in some time in the future that we can actually be based here,
05:30where it's not something that you have to wait until we come to a food festival for,
05:35something that you guys will be able to have year round.
05:46From food that tantalises the taste buds to another feast for the census, the Qatar Kite Festival.
05:52Joana Hoos visits the old Doha port for a dazzling display of artistry in the air and on the ground.
06:01From animals to floating dao boats and even cartoon characters,
06:05Qatar's kite festival is a celebration of creativity and culture, dozens of meters up in the sky.
06:12More than 60 professional kite flyers from over 20 countries have traveled to Qatar,
06:17ready to loosen their strings and hopefully fly high.
06:22I'm from Germany, born in Hamburg, and I love to fly kites since I was a very young boy,
06:28let's say 11 years old, and until now I fly my kites all over the world.
06:33It's a sport, of course, having the skill of flying a kite, but we are all kite makers as well.
06:39So besides flying the kite, we make our kites ourselves.
06:42And of course, every kite flyer has special designs, so it's a mixture of art and sport.
06:51Kites of all shapes and sizes grace the skies above the old Doha port this festival.
06:56But for Wolfgang, the kites he loves most are those replicating animals in their natural habitat.
07:02Fish out of water, so to speak, swimming sky high.
07:04I have many kites, mostly I like kites who fly in the air and do the shape like they be in their own water or air.
07:15So when they fly in the air, they look like they fly in their own natural environment.
07:19So I have a shark, I have many fish or a squid, so when they fly in the air, they look like they fly in their own water.
07:24As well as looking up, friends and families visiting the Qatar kite festival are also encouraged to look down,
07:34as there is plenty to see here on the ground.
07:37The world-renowned French-Swiss artist known as Saip has turned the grass in the old Doha port
07:42into a canvas for one of his signature giant artworks.
07:45An eco-friendly painting that is so big, it's actually best seen from the sky.
07:49If I need to define myself as an artist, I would say that I make a bridge between land art and street art.
07:57I'm known to paint huge eco-friendly painting directly on nature.
08:03So that means that the painting is ephemeral and the materials that I use is very easy.
08:10It's like wood, charcoal and chalk and a casein, which is a protein of milk that will make natural glue to fit the paint directly on the grass.
08:19Saip's art can last for days or months, depending on the natural surface he paints on.
08:25In addition to old Doha port, he was also invited to spray the Sands of Sea Line, the kite festival's second location.
08:32But whether it's the desert or the city, his art always has a special meaning.
08:36I try to spread messages of hope, of peace, of the different things that I have in mind all around the world.
08:46This is my idea.
08:48And in the desert, I create two hands that create an origami camel.
08:52And for me, it was like the travel of the caravan in the dunes.
08:57It was the beginning of a long travel to our dream, for example.
09:00So for me, that matched with the spirit of the desert.
09:05And here, these two hands that create an origami bird that's flying around the other kite.
09:13The bird could be like, you know, the peace bird as well.
09:16With the stunning eco-friendly art below visitors' feet and the colorful wind-fueled displays above their heads,
09:23organizers say that in addition to fun, the kite festival is all about sustainability.
09:29All our festivals, we try to go with clean power.
09:33I don't think you can get cleaner than this.
09:35It's pure air that is lifting these kites.
09:39And even the art that the world-renowned artist, Saip, has done both in sea line and here,
09:49is using biodegradable material and it's fantastic.
09:53It's nice, appealing to the eye and also eco-friendly.
09:58Especially this old port, it's amazing.
10:01We have the wind coming from the sea towards the shore every year.
10:04So this is perfect.
10:05The wind is not turbulent.
10:06And the place here, if you see down the lawn, it's green and it's soft so we can fly our kites.
10:12We are temporary guests on our planet.
10:15And it belongs to us to know what we will let as humans being traces on Earth, you know.
10:22So for me, this is something that I always think.
10:26I create huge artwork that will disappear.
10:29Hopefully, people will keep it in memories, you know.
10:32But I will let traces on nature.
10:34And I love this concept that maybe I can let traces in memories but not on the planet.
10:39Saip's painting and the colorful kites greet visitors flying into Hamad International Airport
10:45before they even touch down.
10:47So whether it's art viewed from the sky or art floating in the sky,
10:51the Qatar Kite Festival appeals to the senses from every perspective.
10:54This is our third edition of the Qatar Kite Festival.
10:59It's unique because it's a family-friendly atmosphere.
11:04People come and as you can see, they are enjoying themselves.
11:09Young children to, you know, senior adults.
11:13So it's for everyone.
11:14It's for everyone.
11:15Beautiful colors in the sky and beautiful kites.
11:20I think a picture is more than a thousand words and that is what we are seeing.
11:24Every day goes by, our visitors are increasing.
11:28There is a steady growth until the last day of the festival.
11:31And this is what's keeping us going.
11:33From eating our hearts out and sampling some of the best street food from around the world,
11:42to flying high with wacky kites of all shapes and sizes,
11:46we hope you've enjoyed this episode, but that's all the time we have for now.
11:49For more, check out Euronews.com and connect with us through our hashtag.
11:52Thanks for watching and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.