Doha, Qatar: The highly anticipated second edition of the Qatar Toy Festival opened yesterday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC). The festival, the largest of its kind in Qatar, began with a captivating balloon drop and welcomed a large number of families and children.
Themed "Fun Starts in Qatar," the festival aims to attract a wide range of visitors, including those from the GCC region. Organized by Visit Qatar, the event features parades, stage shows, live mascots, play areas, and influencer performances until August 14. This year, the festival is "bigger and better," introducing a Mr. Bean Corner with a live show and a Barney corner for the first time globally.
“This is the second edition of the Qatar Toy Festival, the largest toy festival in Qatar. It is bigger and better than the first edition held last year, with over 50 international brands participating, including Barbie, Barney, Naruto, and many more,” said Deena Al Jefairi, a representative of Visit Qatar, speaking to the media on the sidelines of the event.
Al Jefairi highlighted that visitors can engage in a variety of activities across 10 zones spanning over 17,000 square meters. “We have three new zones this year: anime, movie land, and retail zones,” she said, adding that these are in addition to preschool, girls, boys, family, stage, F&B, and theming areas.
According to Al Jefairi, the second edition is being promoted among the GCC countries as part of the summer activities Qatar offers to visitors. She also anticipated the festival becoming a permanent annual feature in Visit Qatar’s event calendar. “Every year it’s going to get better and better. We’re going to bring more international brands, and more people from across the GCC and even beyond will visit,” Al Jefairi said.
The festival features over 50 international brands, including Barbie, Disney Princess, Story Bots, Razor, Mr. Men, Little Miss, Teen Titans, Hot Wheels, Scrabble, Dart Zone, Strawberry Shortcake, WWE, Marvel, LOL, Angry Birds, and Naruto. It also includes five retailers and 53 mascots. Over 19 stage shows will feature musical shows and concerts, science shows, dance shows, competitions, and performances by influencers such as Rasha Rizg, the Adnaan family, the Tarfaan family, Fawzi Muzi, Blippi, and Masaka Kidz, offering endless entertainment for families and children.
The festival welcomes visitors from Sunday to Wednesday between 2 pm and 10 pm, and from Thursday to Saturday between 2 pm and 11 pm. Tickets can be purchased online at Q-Tickets.com, virginmegastore.com, or in person at the venue.