Qatar Airways celebrates Eid Festival in London

Qatar Airways supported the 10th annual Eid celebrations in London on Saturday 25th July in conjunction with the Embassy of the State of Qatar, London.
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The festival held in Trafalgar Square, London, was attended by thousands and brought together communities from across the region. Highlights of the event included a feast of international food to delight visitors' taste buds, with delicious cuisines from around the world, live music performances, plus a range of fun activities for children to try including face-painting, henna and calligraphy. 

For the first time, the Embassy of the State of Qatar with the support of Qatar Airways offered visitors a chance to experience the country's culture, traditions and heritage, and unique hospitality. 

Visitors sampled complimentary Arabic coffee with dates and tried on beautiful traditional Qatari clothing, and they were given the opportunity to view and take pictures with the falcon, the national bird of Qatar. 

Soraya Syed, British-Islamic calligrapher and artist, provided calligraphy workshops throughout the day. Soraya uses classical Arabic calligraphy with new technologies such as holography, placing a traditional art-form into contemporary context. 

A special exhibition was also arranged to showcase the history of pearl diving, which was one of the ancient trades and oldest professions in the Gulf region during the pre-oil era.   

The event concluded with a prize presentation of return tickets to Doha for two lucky winners who took part in the Qatar Airways sponsored competition.

UK and Ireland Country manager, Richard Oliver, said: “We are proud to support this wonderful event in the heart of London celebrating the Eid festival in conjunction with the Embassy of the State of Qatar.” 

Yousef Ali Al-Khater, Ambassador of the  State of Qatar in London said: “We are proud to have delivered such a successful and memorable event. Qatar’s rich history, culture and tradition was showcased in an interactive and unique fashion. The feedback from the public was incredibly positive and an indication of the strong bond between the two nations. We look forward to offering similar events in the future and to continue engaging with the public.”