The Darb Lusail Festival kicked off yesterday at the newest iconic destination in the country – Lusail Boulevard.
Hundreds of people flocked the event, which featured a Middle East line-up for day one of the three-day celebrations. Artists who performed yesterday include well-known Kuwaiti singer Abdulaziz Louis and Lebanese singer Joseph Attieh.
Aside from live performances, spectacular drone shows at 7pm and roaming shows all night are happening until tomorrow, November 5. Today, November 4, The Quick Style, a Norwegian hip-hop dance group, is back again in the country to present a breathtaking show; and tomorrow, November 5, Egyptian singer Ahmed will serenade the crowd.
The three-day celebrations highlight various remarkable cultures that make up the region where each night one particular MENASA region is featured, said Qatar Tourism which is the host of the event.
Fareeda from Syria who attended day one of the festival said: “This is like a taste of the bigger and brighter musical and cultural festivals happening weeks from now. It’s exciting and I can really feel the World Cup vibes.” Shabeer from Pakistan meanwhile expressed his amazement at the new Lusail Boulevard and the first Darb Lusail Festival. “Now we have another tourist spot where you can relax, dine, shop and watch live performances!.”
Lusail Boulevard adds to the growing number of attractions in the country and is a 30-minute walk away from the Lusail stadium. It stretches 1.3 kilometres featuring unique shopping, commercial and residential units. According to Qatari Diar, the developer of the project, “its public realm, size and buildings are modelled after the Avenue des Champs-Élysées; an international experience brought to life by prestige retail, leisure and cultural activities with a Gross Floor Area of 250,000 sqm.”
Among the features of Lusail Boulevard, aside from the intricately designed buildings are the flags of nations qualified for the World Cup displayed along the road, which is picture perfect, and 3D animation screens.
Aside from this, the boulevard offers a wide range of shopping and food outlets for everyone. One particular dining experience that the public should not miss is the famous Nando’s which recently opened on September 9.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Sandra Inova, Manager of the branch said they will have a “special best seller menu for the World Cup so it would be easy and approachable for our customers to understand in any languages because we’re gonna have pictures, easy to understand and easy to choose.”
The menu is still the original menu but a shorter version with more photos, she explained. Inova also revealed they will have a new Espetada which is their best seller item. “We’re gonna have a new one coming in soon, so it’s exciting, very good taste.” And a message to international football fans who’ll dine in at the restaurant: “As Nando’s way we say, everybody welcome.”
The Darb Lusail Festival is hosted by Qatar Tourism, in partnership with Qatari Diar, Qatar Airways, the Qatar-MENASA 2022 Year of Culture and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
