Authenticity of culture is key to 6,500 costumes being readied for sensational Doha 2006 Opening Ceremony

More than 1,000 global event specialists from across the world are working with DAGOC in purpose-built facilities in Doha to create the most spectacular show ever.

More than 6,500 costumes for the Khalifa Stadium spectacular are being prepared. The costume designers have spent the last two years researching various cultures that will be part of the Doha 2006 family, before beginning to design the elaborate array of costumes. The designers are working with the local talents to ensure that Arabic costumes are authentic and true to form.

The extraordinary collection of costumes have been made and sourced from Doha, Sydney, Melbourne, Shanghai, Bangkok, Cairo, USA, Damascus, UK, Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Bali and Korea.

Costumes had to be made before fittings with the performers, so each costume has been constructed to be adjustable. They were designed not only for theatrical effect but for flexibility, ease of movement and comfort for the performers - particularly dancers, aerialists and acrobats.

The gigantic preparation facilities are adjacent to Khalifa Stadium and house administration, dance studios, rehearsals spaces, construction workshops, costume workshops, specialty compounds, cast holding facilities and an outdoor rehearsal area. This is equivalent in size to Khalifa Stadium's field of play.