(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Qatar's first ever Hot Air Balloon Festival, which begins on Saturday, will be a not-to-be-missed spectacular event as 33 hot air balloons from 13 countries adorn the skies over Aspire Park, organizers have said.
Slated to be held from December 7 to 18, the event coincides with three important events namely the 24th Edition of Arabian Gulf Cup Tournament, the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup and Qatar National Day.
Teams from the UK, Germany, Lithuania, USA, Italy, Croatia, Portugal, Ireland, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Qatar will be taking part in the 12-day event of majestic sights combined with live music, kids entertainment and culinary offerings.
Speaking at a press conference at The Torch Doha recently, Captain Hassan Al Mousawi, CEO of Safe Flight Solutions, organizers of the event, said the teams will be arriving on Thursday and Friday in time for the kickoff of the event on Saturday.
The event will start with Tethered Flights from 2pm until sunset in which the balloons are inflated and tied to anchor points in the arena and flown up to 20 meters high, to be followed by the official launch. This will be followed by the Night Glow in which balloons are inflated and the flames in the balloons are in sync with music. 'No matter how someone describes this event, it won't do any justice. People need to see this event live in Aspire Park to appreciate it, so I would suggest not to miss this event, said Al Mousawi.
'On December 8, we will have the first Free Flight, which means the balloons are not tied to the ground or an anchor point and people will see the balloon actually flying in the air. Every day at 6.15am all the balloons will be flying to the direction of the prevailing wind for about 30 to 45 minutes. The free flights will be a spectacular scene to watch over Doha skies, explained Al Mousawi.
He thanked the event's strategic partner Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC), the official airline partner Qatar Airways, venue partner Aspire Zone Foundation, ground transportation partner Hertz and hospitality partner Aura hospitality. 'With the continued support of our partners, we envisage to turn this into an annual global event with more countries participating, said Al Mousawi.
'As we work to diversify Qatar's calendar of festivals it is a pleasure to see our private sector partners taking the lead in building novel and attractive offerings. We're excited to be a part of this event, which introduces a brand new tourism product to Qatari visitors and residents, Jawaher Al-khuzaei of QNTC said in a statement.
Abdulla Aman Al Khater, Director of Events and Facilities at Aspire Zone Foundation, said: 'We, at AZF, have the pleasure to present this exciting event as a new addition to our entertainment events calendar organised at Aspire Park that appeal to the whole family members. Also, this festival will be one a new addition to Qatar's tourism agenda. I would like to invite all the public to enjoy this unique event.
‘Being in the air is something we're quite used to; however, this is different, and we're delighted to be a part of this historical first for our nation' said Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Marketing and Corporate Communications, Salam Al Shawa.
Entry to the festival is free to the public.
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