Fan Zone At Katara Adds Thrill To Drive-Thru Festival | All & About

The open-air fan zone located at Katara Cultural Village behind Katara Beach Club, attracts huge crowds.
Pic: Amna Pervaiz Rao / The Peninsula

An open-air fan zone facility located at Katara Cultural Village behind Katara Beach Club is pulling huge crowds to Drive-Thru Festival during match hours.

Featuring more than 40 food stalls and trucks at Drive-Thru Festival host hundreds of cars during live streaming of FIFA World Cup Russia 2018.

The stalls have been arranged in a circular manner making it easy for motorists to visit the stalls, order and have their food delivered right to them in their vehicles without leaving the comfort of their cars.

A giant screen has been installed at the far end of the venue where football matches are being shown live, while in the middle of the venue is a stage where Arabic music is played by a local Oud artistes.

The visitors enjoy their snacks and coffee at Katara while watching their favourite teams playing sensational football matches.

Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula

Abdul Rehman, an Egyptian resident at Katara told The Peninsula: “This concept is more attractive than other fan zones in Doha. Our kids enjoy in the park while we take pleasure in watching match in car. We tune-in to radio channel and enjoy live commentary as well.”

“This concept of Drive-Thru Festival makes it easy for us as parents. We can sit comfortably in our car, place an order and munch our snacks in our comfort zones,” he added.

Another visitor said that she was enjoying the matches daily with her kids as she lived nearby. Sarah H. Frank, an Australian expatriate said: “I live in the Zigzag building nearby, it is a part of my routine to come to Katara for evening walks along my kids. Now we have the facility of watching live matches here, we grab our picnic basket and come and enjoy fresh air and matches almost daily.”

There is a whole lot of food and beverages in wide varieties that can be purchased at the festival such as pizzas, sandwiches, shawarmas, cakes, wraps, noodles, pastries, artisanal, burgers, pancakes, cupcakes, muffins, fresh juices and shakes among others.

Several salesmen at different vendors claimed an increase in sales during World Cup matches live streaming. A waiter at Cup of Joe said: “During Ramadan, Drive-Thru Festival was filled with hundreds of cars. Since World Cup started we have been witnessing double the crowd which we used to see earlier. Qatari customers love to watch matches in open-air environment.”

Famous restaurants in Katara have also participated in the festival offering their bestsellers. Whereas few customers come and enjoy their favourite brand coffee and sweet dishes.

A customer at Sky Coffee stall said: “Sky Coffee offers two types of drinks; hot and cold. We enjoy the cold selection during summers. Their Spanish latte is our favourite one.”