Souq Waqif 10th Local Date Festival 2025 Ultimate Guide

The 10th Local Date Festival takes place from July 24 to August 7 in Qatar. It aims to celebrate Qatar’s date heritage with over 30 date varieties, and highlights sustainable farming from more than 114 local farms. Entry is free daily.

Event Details

Feature	Details
Dates	July 24 to August 7, 2025
Location	Eastern Square Souq Waqif, Doha
Hours	Sun–Thu 4 PM–9 PM; Fri–Sat 4 PM–10 PM
Admission	Free entry

Location of Date Festival Qatar:

Records set by the Date festival

The event is making huge success. Between Thursday, 24 July and Tuesday, 29 July, the festival sold a total of about 79,421 kg of dates. The details are given below:

Ikhlas: 33,181 kg
Shishi: 17,139 kg
Khunaizi: 16,645 kg
Barhi: 7,036 kg
Other varieties: 5,420 kg

Participants competing in date-pitting race at Souq Waqif at date festival qatar

Over the same period, the date sales added up to 978 kg. From its opening through the sixth day, approximately 36,300 visitors attended the event, highlighting strong community confidence in local produce and a commitment to support national agriculture.

Cultural Significance of the Date festival

Dates are Qatar’s national fruit and a key agricultural product for over 900 farms. The purpose of the festival is to support rural economies by connecting farmers with visitors directly. It also promotes the 2030 goals of Qatar Vision about food security, sustainability, and cultural preservation. Local craftsmen and performers join to create a lively atmosphere that unites families and tourists.

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What to Experience at the Date Festival

Souq Waqif festival entrance arch with lanterns and date stalls at dusk

Make sure to visit date-tasting booths to sample Khenaizi’s caramel notes or Lulu’s crunchy bite.
Join competitions where judges award the best display and the sweetest fruit.
You can watch chefs conduct live demos on date syrup and stuffed dates.
Enjoy evening cultural shows featuring traditional dance and music performances.
Children can join date-pitting races and craft workshops.

Learn about Farmers’ Agritech Innovation

Explore booths one by one, by small and medium-sized farms, showing how modern drip irrigation and solar-powered pumps have helped. Youth-led startups display hydroponic date palm trials for water efficiency. Nutrition experts are trying to explain the health benefits of fiber and antioxidants in dates. Engage yourself with agritech innovators who developed automated harvesters to reduce labor. Learn which techniques help farms achieve up to 75% self-sufficiency in date production.

Shopping Beyond Dates

date syrup bottles and palm-leaf baskets on artisanal market table. Qataralive

Buy excellent date syrup in gift bottles from 15 to 50 QAR. Choose honey-filled dates or spicy date chutney as gourmet gifts. Shop palm-leaf baskets woven by local artisans on the festival grounds. Buy festival-branded tote bags and postcards showcasing date groves. Visit pottery stalls selling date-inspired décor items for 100 to 300 QAR.

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Food and Beverages at the Date Festival

Enjoy the following beverages at the festival

date-infused lassi garnished with saffron strands and dates” at Date festival Qatar

Hydrate yourself with date-lassi mixtures or cold date smoothies flavored with mango and saffron.
Drink date-infused coffee blends flavored with cardamom.
Taste date honey-topped khubz sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Experience ma’boosah rice dish glazed with date syrup in food trucks.
Indulge in date ice cream flavored with pistachio, chocolate, and kunafa-fusion flavors.

Local Culinary and Cultural Context

Qatar produces more than 26,000 tonnes of dates a year from almost 900 farms. Date culture is thousands of years old in the Gulf region. Dates are always served with Arabic coffee as part of traditional hospitality. Date syrup, or dibs, is a fundamental sweetener used in celebratory foods. The festival promotes awareness of date-based food culture and nutrition.

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When to plan your visit to Date Festival?

Plan for Sunday to Thursday visits as weekday evenings experience less crowd. Arrive at 4 PM to explore stalls before dinner rush. Take the Doha Metro Gold Line to Al Souq station or the bus route 76 to Souq Waqif stop. You can park at the souq’s northern lot for 10 QAR per hour. Wear modest, breathable attire and comfortable shoes for standing.

Conclusion

Do not forget tasting unique date varieties, attending workshops, and shopping for artisanal produce in Souq Waqif. Discover how local farmers are increasing the date production with new agritech innovation.

Use transport apps to plan your budget-friendly route and secure smartcards. Enjoy Date Festival Qatar and celebrate local agricultural pride.