Qatar wants travellers to know exactly what's on when — and it has published the receipts. Visit Qatar has launched a single-platform events calendar listing more than 560 events running through 2027, spanning sport, concerts, food and culture. The push follows a record year: the country drew 5.1 million visitors last year, with another 2.9 million arriving in the first half of this year.

Sport dominates the schedule, and the fixtures are easy to plan around. MotoGP returns to the Lusail International Circuit from 6-8 November, followed by the FIFA U-17 World Cup from 19 November to 13 December 2026 and the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final from 10-12 December. The Doha Marathon runs on 15 January 2027, with the Qatar TotalEnergies Open tennis bringing top-tier play to Doha from 8-15 February. Further out, Doha hosts the FIBA Basketball World Cup from 27 August to 12 September 2027, and Formula 1 returns to Lusail for the Qatar Grand Prix from 3-5 December 2027.

It's not all elite sport. The calendar leans into entertainment too: Hans Zimmer, Angham and Saint Levant are among the names highlighted, alongside a Harry Potter film music concert. The Qatar International Food Festival, Art Basel and the Al Ruwais Festival round out a programme designed to give visitors things to do year-round rather than only during headline fixtures.

US comedian and TV host Steve Harvey turned up at the launch to announce his own multi-year deal with the country. It includes the return of FuelFest, a new comedy series and Family Feud events — plus a longer-term plan for what he calls a Family Feud World Cup, with families from different countries competing in Doha.

There's a clear commercial logic behind all of this. Qatar wants tourism to contribute 12% of GDP by 2030, and officials framed the early calendar release as a signal of reliability: book flights and hotels months ahead with confidence that events will go ahead as scheduled.

For travellers, the practical upshot is that Doha is increasingly a stop-off worth stretching into a stay. If you're transiting through Hamad International Airport, a long weekend timed around the marathon, the tennis or the food festival turns a layover into a proper trip — and with dates published years ahead, you can lock in fares during sales rather than paying peak prices around event weekends.