Katara s Kites Show: A Colorful Success Story

Doha, 7 May 2011 (QNA) - The sunny sky over the beachside at Katara The Cultural Village was vibrantly speckled with colourful, high-flying kites in the first multicultural kiting even to have taken place in Qatar.
Thousands of people were seen observing the kite show, as well as flying their own creations. Many spectators also huddled within Katara s open amphitheatre the first and only in the country to take in the view of hundreds of kites floating over Katara.
A family-oriented program, Katara International Kites Family Day was designed to bring together seven different cultures under one sky in a dynamic performance featuring kite flying demonstrations and workshops by some of the world s most active kite enthusiasts.
The kite flying teams travelled to Qatar from China, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, The Netherlands, and U.S.A., featuring kites in a variety of colours, shapes, and sizes. Traditional kites reflecting symbolic cultural themes were an instant hit with the spectators, while the Singaporean team s fish-shaped "Nemo kites," named after popular Disney creation, "Finding Nemo," gained quick approval from the children. The giant inflatable, sports, and LED-equipped kites were also cheered for due to their striking visual appeal.
Visitors to the Katara International Kites Family Day also benefitted from the opportunity to learn about various aspects of Qatari arts and culture, such as falconry and calligraphy, through a range of activities hosted by the cultural societies based in Katara including Algannas Society, Childhood Cultural Center, Qatar Fine Arts Society, Qatar Photographic Society, Qatar Society for Engineers, and Visual Art Center.
"This was a first-time event, and it was absolutely wonderful to see the huge crowd that gathered here at Katara to celebrate and embrace different cultures. We, at Katara, would like to thank the visiting kitefliers who did a superb job of entertaining the crowd and encouraging them to get involved in all the creative activities that took place this weekend," said Malika Mohammed Al-Shraim, Manager, Public Relations, Katara The Cultural Village.
"Katara holds the ideal infrastructure, environment, and facilities for such multicultural activities. Witnessing the success of this event, Katara hopes to continually host more unique and culturally inspired events reflecting different concepts but of similar magnitude," said Al-Shraim.
Presented by Katara The Cultural Village, International Kites Family Day is the first multicultural kite flying event to take place in Qatar.
The family-oriented event is designed to raise awareness about kite flying and bring a culturally diverse group of kite fliers to Qatar, where they can experience first-hand Qatari arts, culture, and society. (QNA)