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The Cultural Village Foundation Katar is preparing for the start of “Leshtah” (Winter) Festival, for the second year in a row. The festival kicks off on Thursday January 22 and lasts until January 26. It will take place on the Katara esplanade. A number of Qatari institutions and centers are participating, including the Childhood Cultural Center, Doha Youth Center, Qatar Heritage and Identity Center, Qatar Society of Al Gannas, Al Galayel Championship, Katara Cultural Market and Bin Muftah Medical Centre, in addition to popular clubs and Al Ada’am Team for Harley motorbikes. On this occasion, HE Dr. Khaled Bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, Director General of the Cultural Village Foundation Katara, said: “The Cultural Village Foundation Katara is keen to diversify its activities, in order to attract an audience comprising of various groups with differing interests.” He added: “For Leshtah Festival, we have endeavored to provide a mix of skill based and educational activities, bringing together culture and entertainment.” Dr. Al Sulaiti noted that many entities are participating in the festival, contributing to a diverse range of programs and activities. He noted: “The diversity of participants confirms the Cultural Village’s openness to other state institutions, which works harmoniously to satisfy the public and offer high level cultural services that are beneficial and multifaceted. Moreover, this festival targets the youth and school students in particular, and we are offering them a general invitation to follow up on events.”   Festival Activities The wide range of participants, which include various institutions and centers, has helped to diversify the festival’s activities. This year, the Childhood Cultural Center has sought to offer a new look at its activities in terms of design, accompanying activities, and presentations. This is demonstrated by its child appropriate design, whereby it seems as if one is entering a small village comprising of five houses, each containing a particular activity. Moreover, the Qatar Heritage and Identity Center will present an interactive educational theatrical performance for all age groups, addressing the topic of winter in Qatar and the resident’s interest in stars and their homes, as well as the season’s impact on daily life. Through this performance, the center seeks to revive the authentic Qatari identity and heritage, in addition to documenting the social history of Qatari society and using this in the educational sphere to benefit the largest possible segment of society. There will also be a number of workshops on science and scientific skills, to increase children’s scientific knowledge. There will be an agricultural workshop, comprising a house with eight plant nurseries. This plant nursery workshop will involve the children in the selection of seeds, teaching them about the different types of seeds, as well as agricultural steps and tools. In addition there will be a workshop on story reading, including accompanying work after reading the story, and a variety of other workshops. The festival will also offer a number of popular games, played by a group of children on Katara Beach. The festival’s visitors, particularly the children, will learn about popular foods through the “popular kitchen” activity, which will offer a well known dish from each Arab country. Children can enjoy making sand sculptures on the beach from 3 5 p.m. each day of the festival, and prizes will be awarded to the five winning sculptures. This is in addition to language games, where a group of children will join in to arrange various letters and pictures. Katara FM will feature a radio contests for the attendees on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 4 5 p.m. The contests will involve questions about Katara, testing the participants’ knowledge of the foundation, and prizes will be awarded to the winners. It is worth noting that the word “Leshtah” is used in Qatari vernacular to denote the winter season, which is received by the people with joy and enthusiasm. During the winter, residents participate in a number of activities and make inland trips. Accordingly, the festival was named “Leshtah,” given the various activities and information it will present to distinguish this season, in terms of both education and entertainment.Download Events of "Leshtah" Festival