Opening of Doha Festival City pushed back to April, says report
A lot has been said and covered about the iconic Doha Festival City, which is set to open its doors in Qatar soon.
The opening of the $1.8bn mall and mixed-used development was widely expected to be happen this month.
However, Gulf Business reported that the mall’s opening has once again been pushed back, this time by another month, to April.
Kareem Shamma, CEO of Bawabat Al Shamal Real Estate Company, the firm responsible for the project’s delivery, confirmed the new date and said the process of handing over to retailers was well underway.
“In simplest terms, we’re now moving out of the construction and into the operational phase,” he said.
It had previously been scheduled to open in September 2016 and then the first quarter of 2017.
In January, Doha Festival City manager Trevor Hill had suggested a March opening was planned.
Shamma said he expected the entertainment and hospitality offerings at the mall, which is claimed to be the largest in Qatar and one of the biggest in the Middle East, to draw the crowds.
“There’s no doubt that there has been a sharp increase in the retail space in Qatar in the last year or two, but Doha Festival City is far more than just a mall. We’re excited to be bringing a destination to Qatar that has never been seen before — it’s about entertainment and hospitality as much as it’s retail,” he said.
The Doha Festival City is expected to feature more than 500 local and international brands, including Qatar-first openings for Harvey Nichols and ACE Hardware, and 100 dining options.
It will also include the country’s first 4D VOX cinema, an outdoor exercise area with five-a-side football pitches and basketball courts and an entertainment centre with four theme parks — gaming themed Angry Birds World, indoor snow park Snow Dunes, ‘edutainment’ park Juniverse and digital experience Virtuocity.
The parks are scheduled to open in the second quarter with Virtuocity to come first, followed by Angry Birds, Snow Dunes and Juniverse.
Access roads should all be ready first before opening.
it is too frustrating to reach Mall of Qatar with the road diversions, i hope they don't repeat the same mistake with this project.
NOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I was so looking forward to the opening after all the posts on QL :O(