As of press time, I think this is the most number of food festivals happening simultaneously in the city. As they take advantage of the cooler weather, all of them can be found in open air parks around Doha:
SHERATON PARK: 1st of November onwards (QATAR FOOD FEST)
ASPIRE PARK: 17-23 of November (ASIAN NIGHT MARKET 2019)
AL BIDDA PARK: 13-23 of November (QATAR STREET FOOD FESTIVAL 2019)
UPDATED: Extended up to November 30!
We’ve heard that there are even pocket food festivals (for a very limited time only) happening in other parts of the city. If you happen to know one, please comment down below.
Some festivals are properly organized, well-lighted and well-decorated, with a good number of tables and benches, while others are just… ok. Most of them are selling the concept of “street food” however, from our observation, some have just become an extension of their main restaurants or coffee shops. Prices are at an average of 25 to 40 riyals per serving (full meal at times) – most likely the same price if you go and visit their stores.
I miss those days when we get to experience HOTEL FOODS for only QR5, 10, 15! I would really love to see new food concepts or new brands being introduced at these events, as well as those interesting newbies I see on Instagram but whose shops were too far for many of us to visit.
PRICES:
For food park goers like us, we want to try out as much food as possible. But since each store would sell around QR25 to QR40 per order (big servings at that), then we’d be left to choose around 2 or 3 spots only per visit. Then we would just pass by and check out the other stalls hoping we could come back another day to try them out.
Smaller servings at lower prices would have been nicer so we would be able to enjoy each visit and probably try out new brands, as well as our favorite ones. Please remind me that this is a food festival (not a food court).
Also, these festivals should work out as promotions for each store in order to invite people to visit their locations by capturing food lovers through a sneak peek of what they can offer.
FOOD CONCEPTS:
Lastly, when we visit a food festival, we would also want to see something unique. While gathering different food concepts in one place is a good idea, highlighting a new menu in an eco-friendly package or interesting presentation would be a better approach too. Probably an incentive for going too far or for walking all the way from the (usually, with pay) parking area to the festival area! Just like how we loved the avocado ice cream – that was really instagrammable! What about that french fries on top of a blue mojito cup – that was really cool! Can you name other interesting finds from previous events?
WE LOVE FOOD!
Kudos to all the restaurants and cafes for not failing to satisfy our hungry tummies. But as a food festival fan, we hope that they will also consider making it even more budget-friendly and more interesting. Now, let’s go to the park!
