Artists performing inside the rolling bubbles. BELOW: A juggler performing before a huge crowd at Souq Waqif yesterday. (Qassim Rahmatullah)

DOHA: Showcasing a blend of traditional and modern cultural events, Souq Waqif has emerged as the major centre of attraction of this year’s Eid celebrations.

The traditional souq drew a record number of visitors during the first two days of Eid Al Adha. The artists mesmerised the crowd with their numbers. This time, Souq Waqif has lined up a series of events targeting mainly the families and kids. The rolling bubbles and moving stone-men are the major attractions for the children. Families and children are also excited by the performance of Chinese jugglers.

However, the folklore songs rendered by a team led by Kuwaiti singer Yusuf Al Safi and Jordanian singer Basher Sarhan was the major highlight of the Souq Waqif event this year. This is the seventh consecutive year the team is performing at the Souq Waqif. A new face, Salem Ali from Qatar, also joined the team this time. The Qatar TV and Al Rayyan Radio aired the event live.

The team rendered a number of popular Gulf traditional songs and other folkloric songs that drew cheers from the audience.

“Traditional songs have become the fad of the young Arabs. The huge audience gathered here disapprove the claim that the young Arab generation are after modern music”, Yusuf said.

The popular restaurants and cafe shops, in Souq Waqif are offering special spreads of a wide variety of Yemeni, Iraqi, Moroccan, Lebanese cuisines. These restaurants and cafes are also drawing a huge number of guests.