Qatar Summer Wonders Festival to begin July 9

The 2003 edition will run from July 9 until August 8.

'The festival will provide families, and most especially children in their summer holidays with a culture-rich, educational and fun-packed vacation,' said David Tewelde, General Manager, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA).

The 2003 Qatar Summer Wonders Festival will host folkloric groups from all over the world. Confirmed to date are groups from Spain, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Mexico, France, Russia, Senegal, Mauritania, Jordan, Palestine, Libya, Sudan and Greece.

'It will be highly educational but a fun festival,' said Tewelde.

Back for the festival will be the QTA's Summer Wonders mascot Beshara.

In a specially-constructed Beshara City, children will be able to paint with Beshara, learn traffic codes with him, watch puppet shows, play with clowns, stilt walkers and magicians.

There will also be a Beshara Wax City where visitors can walk through and marvel at the wax figurines made in the image of real people.

Additional attractions will include an Antiques Village, which will take visitors back to Qatar's Bedouin past, a Flower Village and Beshara Iceland, at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre, featuring real snow and where temperatures will drop to minus 5 degrees Celsius.

For adults, the festival will be a shopper's paradise with malls providing unbeatable bargains. There will be weekly raffles with over QR 1 million to be won.

Doha hotels will all be offering summer local special rates during the season, running from June 1 to August 31. The rates will apply to Qataris, GCC nationals and residents.

Hotels offering the special rates include: Ritz Carlton; InterContinental; Doha Marriott; Sheraton; Ramada; Movenpick; Rydges; Sofitel; Oasis Hotel and Merweb Hotel.