Qatar National Day occurs annually on December 18, marking the day in 1878 when Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani succeeded his father Sheikh Mohammed bin Thani as leader and began consolidating the Qatari peninsula under unified rule. The date represents Qatar's emergence as a distinct political entity separate from external governance. The celebration became an official public holiday in 2007 under Emiri Decree 29. Events center in Doha along the Corniche waterfront, at Katara Cultural Village, and at Souq Waqif, with military parades, traditional dhow boat races in the harbor, Qatari folk performances including ardah sword dances, and camel races. The Qatar Armed Forces conduct flyovers with the Qatari Air Force aerobatic team. Buildings throughout Doha display projections in maroon and white, the national colors. The celebration runs approximately five days surrounding December 18, with school closures and reduced business operations. Attendance at Corniche events regularly exceeds 500,000 people during the evening celebrations. Traditional Qatari dress becomes near-universal during National Day, with men wearing thobes and women wearing abayas, and the day serves as the primary annual expression of Qatari national identity in a country where Qatari citizens comprise approximately 12 percent of the total population.
The FIFA World Cup in November and December 2022 represented the first World Cup held in the Middle East and the most compressed geographic World Cup in tournament history. Eight stadiums hosted the 64 matches, with maximum distance between any two venues at 46 kilometers. Lusail Stadium, with 88,966 capacity, hosted the final match on December 18, 2022, where Argentina defeated France in penalty kicks. The tournament required construction or major renovation of seven stadiums: Lusail Stadium, Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, and Stadium 974 in Doha, which was constructed from 974 shipping containers and subsequently disassembled after the tournament. Khalifa International Stadium, originally built in 1976, underwent renovation. The tournament moved from traditional June-July dates to November 21 through December 18 to avoid summer temperatures that routinely exceed 42 degrees Celsius. Qatar spent an estimated 220 billion USD on infrastructure including the Doha Metro Red, Green, and Gold Lines completed between 2019 and 2020, Hamad International Airport expansion, and the creation of Lusail city as a planned metropolitan area north of Doha. Approximately 1.4 million international visitors attended, filling 130,000 hotel rooms and temporary accommodation units. The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, established in 2011, managed all World Cup infrastructure projects. Workers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka constructed the stadiums and infrastructure, with The Guardian newspaper reporting in February 2021 that 6,500 South Asian migrant workers had died in Qatar since 2010, though Qatar disputed these figures and stated that three worker deaths were directly work-related on World Cup sites. Alcohol sales were prohibited in stadiums, reversing an earlier FIFA agreement. The tournament generated global attention to Qatar's kafala labor system, which ties worker residency permits to specific employers.
Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha remain Qatar's primary religious holidays, with exact dates following the Islamic lunar calendar. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan fasting and lasts three to four days as a public holiday. Eid prayers occur at the Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque in Doha, with the Grand Mosque accommodating approximately 30,000 worshippers. Families gather for breakfast meals after morning prayers, children receive gifts and money in envelopes, and visiting extended family members follows strict protocols. Katara Cultural Village hosts public celebrations including traditional music performances, henna application stations, and children's activities. Souq Waqif experiences peak traffic during Eid evenings, with traditional sweet vendors selling lugaimat and mehalabiya. Eid al-Adha, the larger of the two holidays, occurs approximately 70 days after Eid al-Fitr during the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah and commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son. Animal sacrifice constitutes the central ritual, with families purchasing sheep or goats for slaughter, distributing meat portions to family, friends, and poor recipients. The Qatar Red Crescent Society coordinates organized meat distribution programs. Both Eid holidays function as complete business closures in Qatar, with government offices, private companies, and most retail establishments closed for four days. Malls and entertainment venues reopen on the third day of Eid. The holidays represent the only periods when Qatari citizens noticeably outnumber expatriate residents in public spaces, as many expatriate workers use the extended closures to travel outside Qatar.
The Qatar International Food Festival operated annually from 2012 through 2019 in March at multiple venues in Doha, primarily at the Museum of Islamic Art Park and Oxygen Park. The 2019 edition ran from March 14 through March 30 and featured approximately 40 restaurants and food vendors, cooking demonstrations by visiting chefs, and competitions. Attendance in 2019 reached approximately 700,000 visitors over the 17-day period. The festival promoted both Qatari traditional dishes including machbous and harees and international cuisines reflecting Qatar's expatriate demographics. Master classes in traditional Qatari cooking techniques occurred daily, with instruction in preparing madrouba and thareed. The event charged no admission fee but required payment for individual food items, with most dishes priced between 15 and 60 Qatari riyals. The festival has not occurred since 2019, with no official announcement regarding permanent discontinuation or temporary suspension. Food events in Qatar after 2019 shifted to smaller vendor-specific activations and restaurant weeks rather than centralized festival formats.
The Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition occurs annually in February at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, running approximately five days. The 2024 edition took place from February 5 through February 9. The exhibition attracts regional jewelry buyers and consumers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, with approximately 500 exhibitors participating in 2024. Qatar's jewelry market reflects both traditional gold preference among Qatari and Arab populations and luxury watch demand among high-income expatriates. The exhibition separates into distinct zones for gold jewelry, diamond jewelry, pearls, and watches. Qatari pearl merchants display natural pearls from historical Qatari pearl diving operations, though Qatar's pearl industry effectively ended after Japanese cultured pearls entered markets in the 1930s. Contemporary sales focus on diamonds and gold jewelry from international suppliers. Several Indian jewelry manufacturers maintain permanent showrooms in Doha, reflecting demand from South Asian expatriate populations who purchase gold for weddings and as investment. The exhibition generates estimated sales exceeding 100 million USD during the five-day period based on exhibitor reports, though official figures are not published.