Qatar Tourism Authority announced that as part of the month-long Shop Qatar festival, the first-ever winter edition of the DCF will take place from February 2-4 at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) theatre. The three-day comedy festival will bring together a special lineup of 15 stand-up comedians from nine countries. According to each comedian’s repertoire and style, the three nights have been themed Arab (Feb. 2), Khaleeji (Feb. 3) and International (Feb. 4). The impressive lineup of stars includes the host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah, and the winner of America’s Got Talent, Paul Zerdin, who will both be coming to Qatar for the first time and performing at the DCF’s International Night. DCF is presented by QTA and organised and produced by The Social Studios. The last edition of DCF, held during the Qatar Summer Festival (QSF), drew over 4,000 fans. QTA PR and Communication Director Saif Al Kuwari said, “Shop Qatar features a multitude of activities making it much more than a shopping festival. Based on the huge success we have seen for DCF in the past few years, the inclusion of this comedy event in Shop Qatar’s entertainment line-up is expected to draw large crowds of fans from across the region.” He added, “We have been proud to support DCF since its inception, especially as comedy is a positive means for shedding light on social issues and plays an important role in building bridges between cultures.” Commenting on the rationale behind holding this festival, The Social Studio Managing Director Hamzeh Zahr said, “Playing host to one of the region’s largest comedy shows demonstrates Qatar’s growing prominence on the global cultural map. Comedy in this region was and is a part of our collective cultural heritage and the spread of stand-up comedy is testament to the flourishing of Arab artistic talents. Its popularity presents a golden opportunity for reaching out to younger generations and creating a positive impact that encourages them to pursue a future that values innovation for success.”
to Qatar for the first time, as well as a host of Khaleeji and Arab talent.” 3 Nights of Laughter with DCF From the GCC, across the Middle East, and the USA, DCF brings a host of stand-up comedians to QNCC
Qatari comedian Hamad Al-Amari remarked, “The last edition of DCF featured a number of top comedians from the region and the great audience turn-out underscored the importance of stand-up comedy in our region’s cultural scene.
2 February: Arabic Night - an evening that brings together some of the region’s brightest stars: Nemr (Lebanon), Rajae Qawas (Jordan), Nikolas Khoury (Jordan), Mohanad Al-Hattab (Syria), Wonho Chung (Korea) & Mohammad Salem (Egypt).
“The winter edition promises to build on that and offer our audiences a new experience with fresh material that touches on new topics. We are particularly excited to be sharing the stage with world-renowned comedians, who will be coming
3 February: Khaleeji Night – an evening that brings together the best of the Gulf: Bader Saleh, Ibraheem Al-Khairallah, Moayad Al-Nefaie (KSA), Ahmad Al-Shammari, Abdallah Al-Saidan, Bashar Al-Jazzaf (Kuwait)
4 February: International Night – for the first time in Qatar…Paul Zerdin (the British comedian, ventriloquist, and winner of Season 10 of America’s Got Talent) & South African comedian Trevor Noah (host of The Daily Show), with an opening act by Hamad Al-Amari (also known as ‘the Qatari Guy’) n Tickets for each night range from QAR 120 to QAR 995 and are on sale at Virgin Megastores throughout the country and online through the store’s website, in addition to Shop Qatar booths at malls participating in the festival. Details on other events can be found on www.shopqatar.qa and the dedicated Shop Qatar social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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