In a colourful celebration of the Indian subcontinent’s vibrant culture and arts, the second week of Shop Qatar (14th - 21st January), saw a unique line-up of Bollywood-inspired activities at malls and special venues across Qatar.

The week’s Bollywood Fashion Show held at the Mondrian Doha hotel was a dazzling showcase of over 100 Sari- and Lehenga-inspired dresses by six celebrity designers. The designers included Archana Kochhar and Vikram Phlankis, and the show was crowned with a guest appearance by Bollywood Superstar Kareena Kapoor in a bridal gown.

Later in the week, Sonu Nigam serenaded his fans in a four-hour performance at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), organised by Talent Resources. In addition, malls participating in Shop Qatar hosted a variety of Bollywood-themed pop-up shops, inviting mall-goers to create and personalise their own embroidered khussa slippers, bangles and much more.

Raffle Draw

On Thursday, the second of the festival’s four weekly raffle draws was held at Hyatt Plaza and 15 winners walked away with two BMW cars and QAR 500,000 in cash prizes. Over 78,000 vouchers were entered into the draw, representing more than QAR 15 millions of spending throughout the second week of Shop Qatar. 

The winners of the QAR 10,000 cash prizes in the second week’s raffle draw are Abdul Saleem (115023), Noura Alawi Al Yafi (067333), Mahdi Ali Yousif (004927) and Carea Baig (106152).

Winners in the QAR20,000 and QAR30,000 prize category were Rakesh Aitavar (102603) and Christopher Bag Ao (106634) respectively. And, Mary Anne Adams (069039), Gary Bond (064151), AbdelMoniem Idris Manaa Mojawer (046503) and Ezzar Sofiane (041522) each won the QAR 40,000 cash prize.

The QAR 50,000 cash prize went to Gireesh Kamal (038678), and both Asmaa El Shafey (048463) and Mohammad Fakhro (019791) won the QAR 100,000 prizes. The BMW 520i prize went to John Calberon (106583) and the winner of the grand prize, a BMW 730 Li, was Hessa Al Muhannadi (154812).

Visitors and residents still have a chance to win by shopping or dining at any of the festival’s 13 Mall partners. The upcoming draws will be held at 8:30pm on Thursday, 25th January at Tawar Mall. The final draw will take place at the closing ceremony in Doha Festival City on Thursday, 8th February and will feature a special performance by Lebanese singer, Ramy Ayach.

International Week

The Festival’s third week, which runs from 21st to 27th January, is themed ‘International Week’ and is set to bring a special line-up of entertainment and activities that celebrate arts and cultures from all over the world.

A display of the latest trends for 2018 is expected at the International Fashion Show being held at 7pm on Wednesday 22nd January, at the Mondrian Hotel. Over 100 different looks will be on show.

Those interested to attend can register online via www.talentresources.org/fashion-show-registration. The event is for free and seats will be provided on a first-come-first-serve basis.

On Friday, 25th January, the award-winning American duo, the Chainsmokers, will be taking to the stage of the DECC to mark the first concert of their 2018 tour.

Tickets are available in the QAR 275, 550 and 990 categories at https://tickets.virginmegastore.me/qa/music/5508/the-chainsmokers.

Fashion-fans wanting to have their hand at design are invited to the three-day certified course with Spanish celebrity designer, Alejandro Resta running from the 21st – 23rd January at the Ritz-Carlton Doha.

Registration can be made at this link http://www.shopqatar.qa/discover/masterclasses/.

For a traditional shopping experience, festival partner Embrace Doha is leading shopping tours through Souq Waqif, stopping along the way to sample and learn about spices, incense, traditional food, art and clothes.

The week’s upcoming tours include a women’s tour on Thursday, 25th January; a men’s tour on Friday, 26 January and a family tour (free for children under 14) on Saturday, 27th January. Tours run from 5:00 - 6:30 pm and cost QAR 150 per person.

Those interested to join can register on http://www.shopqatar.qa/discover/shop-qatar-tours/.

To find out more, visit www.shopqatar.qa and follow the dedicated Shop Qatar social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.