BY NAUREEN AHMED
Saudi Arabia is bringing new excitement in its midst and we’re here for the long, entertaining ride!
There was a time in our lives in Saudi Arabia when we often asked “what’s there to do?” If you ask me ten years ago, I would have answered, “go to the mall”. But today, with the Saudi Vision 2030 promising a vibrant society, promoting culture and entertainment becomes one of the ways to further enjoy a good quality of life in the Kingdom. With this is the introduction of many events and activities, and of course, the re-opening of cinemas.
Meaningful Entertainment
Saudi Arabia is committed to provide a number of cultural and entertainment events to its citizens and residents. “Daem” is the national program that will focus on this goal. It aims to create a network of clubs that professionally organizes events, encourage the exchange of knowledge and international experiences, and promote better awareness of more hobbies and leisure activities. Government funds will be allocated to open more event venues and to support the efforts of the Kingdom’s regions, governates, and non-profit and private sectors to hold festivals and other cultural happenings.
With such focus on culture and entertainment, Saudi Arabia introduced two bodies of recreation and culture in 2016: the General Culture Authority (GCA) and the General Entertainment Authority (GEA). The GCA is responsible for all cultural activities in the Kingdom while the GEA is responsible for expanding the Kingdom’s entertainment sector.
Enduring Culture
I have been to various museums and traditional villages and have attended many festivals in the Kingdom: I have always been amazed with Saudi Arabia’s heritage. To see the GCA create programs to maintain, safeguard and revive this heritage is a great way to achieve the organization’s objectives which include stimulating and developing the Kingdom’s cultural sector, encouraging creativity and innovation, and fostering cultural talents. The GCA is focused on the following sectors: theater and performing arts, film and media content, literature, visual arts and music.
The GCA highlights the Saudi identity through their activities. They participate in local and international conferences, forums, festivals, and exhibitions which are considered as bridges and channels to enhance the cultural standing of the Kingdom in the world. The Saudi Cultural Days, an international program of experiential exhibits, is one of their momentous events this year. It showcased a “whole-istic” exhibition of Saudi modern and contemporary art curated by Aya Alireza and Raneem Farsi. Activities like art and photography, screenings of Saudi films, and musical performances were held in London, New York and Paris. The event showed a more complete image of what makes Saudi Arabia what it is today.
Locally, the GCA held Sikkat Ramadan in Riyadh, a display of arts, film screenings, and many interactive shows, for five days. They also had the Saudi-German Jazz Fusion Concert and invited the Cologne Academy Orchestra to perform in Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah. They also brought in violin prodigy Chloe Chua and Dr. Hiba Al Kawas, the pioneer in Arabic opera.
The governing body signed an agreement with Rotana Audiovisual Company last April to organize around 100 cultural events with more than 80 artists from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the world participating. With these events, and more in the works, Saudi Arabia is truly having a rebirth by digging deep into their roots and at the same time sharing their skills and talents to the world.
Enriching Experience
Ten years ago, we were struggling to find events to attend. Fast forward to today and we can’t keep up with all the events happening in the Kingdom! The GEA was established to organize, develop, and lead the Kingdom’s entertainment sector. It aims to provide exciting entertainment options and tailored experiences for people from all walks of life. And they’re currently doing a really good job at it.
At the start of 2018, the GEA started its “Don’t Even Think of Traveling” campaign which encourages citizens and residents alike to stay in the Kingdom during vacation and holidays. The GEA provided more entertainment options which are accessible to all through their online entertainment calendar, roznamah.sa. Everyone can check upcoming events and activities in the website and also in the app available for smartphones. It has been a handy tool to keep track of all the happenings in the country.
The GEA supported the first ever Comic Con in Saudi Arabia in 2017. It brought the world of films, comics, and anime to the Kingdom with celebrity appearances. This event delighted a lot of families and comic fans. The organization also backed the Monster Jam event in Riyadh, a world-famous live motorsport that features legendary drivers in four-meter tall, five-ton trucks.
This year’s eid celebrations saw a lot of events! While the fireworks display is still at the heart if it, the circus came to town too! The Hollywood Circus set up their red tent and wowed guests with their acrobats thrilling actions and death-defying stunts. Another part of the Eid-al-Fitr celebrations was the first ever South Asian Expatriate Festival at the King Abdullah Park. It showed the rich tapestry of South Asian culture with live dances and musical performances.
Groovz was the first ever jazz festival in the Kingdom which featured bands from Riyadh, Beirut and New Orleans. The outdoor event had a vintage car display and food trucks. Speaking of which, Riyadh saw a lot of food truck events this year that opened up opportunities for local entrepreneurs to try their hand on moveable food businesses.
I probably attended more events in 2017 and 2018 than the first 8 years of my stay in Saudi Arabia. With GEA announcing 5,000 events for this year, we can expect more fun and interesting shows to come!
With the Kingdom’s focus on creating a vibrant society and giving its people a happy and fulfilling life, we will be seeing a tremendous growth and improvement in their culture, entertainment and recreation sectors. We are not just witnesses but we are all part of the action. It’s truly a great time to be in Saudi Arabia!
Lights, Camera, Action!
We are truly witnessing sweeping reforms in the entertainment industry with the re-opening of cinemas in Saudi Arabia after over three decades. The landmark moment happened in April 18, 2018 with a showing of the movie Black Panther at the AMC Cinema. AMC Entertainment was granted the first license to operate cinemas in the Kingdom. Apart from giving people an avenue to enjoy the latest flicks, the re-opening of cinemas creates jobs and helps growing the economy.
AMC Cinemas
As you enter the AMC grounds, every movie buff will be amused by the trinkets of movie references to be seen. From movie quotes to movie posters, it’s worth a quick snap. AMC Cinemas houses one huge cinema with standard and balcony seating options. The staff were especially friendly and accommodating with the guests. Once you start popping their popcorn on your mouths, you can’t stop.
VOX Cinemas
Owned by Majid Al Furraim Cinemas, VOX Cinemas is located at the bustling activity floor of the new Riyadh Park Mall. It is a multiplex cinema with four screens, including the country’s first IMAX theater. They have a dedicated VOX KIDS concept, which is an exclusive viewing experience for children. You need to arrive at least 30 minutes before your movie schedule in order to go through security and the line for concessions.
+966-11-222-1101
KAFD Conference Center
North Ring Road,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh Park Mall
North Ring Road, Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia
