British Festival

Doha

As part of the legacy of the Qatar-Uk 2013 Year of Culture, the month-long British Festival, a cultural and trade event, was launched at the British Embassy in Doha by Britain's ambassador to Qatar, Nicholas Hopton.

Some of the British Festival highlights included a performance and school workshops by the UK’s leading ‘performance parkour’ group The Urban Playground at Souq Waqif.

Theatre & Music

Festivals

Band performs onstage during the British Festival during the Qatar-Uk 2013 Year of Culture.

The “Study in the UK Exhibition” gave students interested in studying in the UK the opportunity to explore the wide range of courses available and meet representatives from 22 British Universities.

Circle of Sound was a live concert at the Al Rayyan Theatre by Soumik Datta, a renowned sarod player and composer who has previously collaborated with Beyonce. Datta was accompanied by Austrian drummer Bernhard Schimpelsberger, English singer-songwriter Fiona Bevan, and well-known Qatari artists.

Welsh Cultural Week included a performance by the Welsh National Opera (WNO), along with a photography exhibition, an event for alumni of Welsh universities and other trade focused events in Doha.

Britain’s Ambassador to Qatar, His Excellency Nicholas Hopton said:
We are delighted and proud to launch the British Festival 2014 in Qatar. Following the tremendous success of Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture, this festival is a continuing celebration of the strong ties and ongoing cultural exchange between Qatar and the United Kingdom.

The British Festival provides a platform for nurturing existing partnerships and forging new ones - in art, education, commerce and science. We want to highlight how British cutting edge design, quality, innovation and style can be found in the sphere of culture and also on the high street. We look forward to continuing our work with our partners as the festival kicks off and I hope that many British residents of Qatar will get involved.