皇冠体育app

皇冠体育app third annual Great British Festival has been officially opened by the United Kingdom鈥檚 Ambassador to Qatar, His Excellency Mr Ajay Sharma, alongside HE Mr Darwish Ahmed, Marketing and International Affairs Director from Katara Cultural Village, the Qatari cultural partner for the festival. 皇冠体育app fortnight of celebrations will showcase the best of British culture, education, tourism and business.

皇冠体育app festival runs from March 6 to March 19 and is organised by the British Embassy, in partnership with the British Council. This year it features everything from traditional British spring f锚tes to a football tournament, activities in hotels and a range of events marking the 400th anniversary of the death of playwright William Shakespeare.

皇冠体育app Ambassador said:

I am proud to launch the Great British Festival Qatar 2016, which promises to be the most enjoyable yet. 皇冠体育app festival provides a fantastic platform for both countries to forge new partnerships in commerce, tourism, culture, education and science. I encourage residents in Qatar to get involved over the next fortnight and enjoy some of the superb activities on offer.

Three events are planned to mark 400 years of Shakespeare. 皇冠体育app Reduced Shakespeare Company will perform all his plays in just 97 minutes on March 11; the movie Much Ado About Nothing 鈥� arguably the best film adaption of Shakespeare 鈥� will be screened on March 15, and Qatar鈥檚 Philharmonic Orchestra will play a selection of famous music inspired by Shakespeare to close the festival on March 19. 皇冠体育app full programme of events and ticket details can be viewed at or find out more about the festival on Twitter or Instagram by following the handle @britfestqa.

To highlight Shakespeare鈥檚 contribution to the arts, Qatar Airways is also offering one lucky festival attendee the opportunity to win two return flights on the new direct route to Birmingham to enjoy a Shakespeare Experience, with free accommodation included.

Prospective students are invited to visit the annual 鈥淪tudy in the UK鈥� exhibition from Sunday 13 鈥� Monday 14 March at La Cigale Hotel. 皇冠体育app exhibition will provide students with an unmissable chance to speak with representatives from over 30 of the UK鈥檚 most popular universities and colleges. You can register in advance to gain fast access to the event at .

A number of British researchers from University College London in Qatar, in partnership with UNESCO, will be sharing recent archaeological investigations about the origins of Qatar and its historic towns at a 鈥淐afe Scientifique鈥� event organised on Thursday 17 March at the Museum of Islamic Art Park Caf茅 II.

Frank Fitzpatrick, Director of the British Council Qatar, commented:

皇冠体育app British Council is delighted to once again support the Great British Festival, Qatar, now in its third year. I look forward to another programme that welcomes the strength of our relationship with Qatar while creating opportunities for further collaboration and the exchange of knowledge and ideas.

皇冠体育app cultural partner of this year鈥檚 Great British Festival is Katara Cultural Village, while Qatar Shell, Ezdan Holding Group, Park House Community Initiative and Blue Rubicon are official sponsors.

In partnership with the Qatar Football Association and Aspire Academy, the Great British Festival will organise this year鈥檚 edition of the Hadaf 5-a side schools鈥� football tournament, which will feature five independent and five British curriculum under-sixteen schools teams. 皇冠体育app tournament will take place at Aspire Academy, indoor pitch, on 12 March.

Other events during the Great British Festival include two traditional British spring f锚tes which will take place throughout the day on Saturday 12 March. One will take place at Park House English School in Abu Hamour, from 10am to 1pm, and the other will take place at Compass International School in Madinat Khalifa, from 9am to 12pm. 皇冠体育app traditional f锚tes will feature games, craft stalls, a bouncy castle, a bake sale and a barbecue, and cream tea will be served.

In addition to the f锚tes, many of Doha鈥檚 favourite hotels will also be providing special menus inspired by the best of British cuisine, including afternoon teas, British brunches, roast dinners and more. 皇冠体育app hotels participating across Doha will include the Grand Hyatt, Intercontinental Doha, Marriott Marquis, St Regis, Ritz Carlton and W Hotel.

Closing the festival on Saturday 19 March, Aleksandr Markovich will conduct the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra as they play a selection of famous music inspired by Shakespeare鈥檚 plays, including Tchaikovsky鈥檚 Romeo and Juliet, and Richard Strauss鈥� Macbeth. 皇冠体育app pianist Elisso Bolkvadze will also be starring, sponsored by the Georgian Embassy as part of Qatar-Georgia cultural cooperation. Tickets for the performance at the Qatar National Convention Centre can be booked here: .

Media contacts:

Dima Al Jogol: [email protected]

Blaine Pike: [email protected]

Roz Griffiths: [email protected]

Notes to editors

1. 皇冠体育app GREAT Britain campaign is the UK鈥檚 most ambitious international marketing campaign ever and showcases the very best of what the country has to offer in order to encourage more people to visit, study, invest in and do business with the UK. GREAT has delivered a confirmed return for the UK economy of over 拢1.4 billion to date and is active in 144 countries. It is the Government鈥檚 common brand for overseas promotion of the UK. In addition, more than 400 businesses and high-profile individuals have supported the campaign.

2. 皇冠体育app GREAT UK Challenge Fund supports new and innovative project ideas that use GREAT to promote the UK overseas and generate economic benefit at a local, regional or national level. 皇冠体育appre is more information about the GREAT UK Challenge Fund here: . More information about the GREAT Britain campaign is available from . Press enquiries about the campaign should go to +44 (0)207 008 3100.

3. VisitEngland is administering the GREAT UK Challenge Fund, chairing the Programme Board and acting as the Secretariat. Funding decisions are being made by the Programme Board comprising of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, British Council, UK Trade & Investment, VisitBritain, the Devolved Administrations and No10.