Saudi Eid festivities set to be most colorful yet

General Entertainment Authority's logo for Eid. (Photo courtesy: GEA)
Updated 17 November 2017
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Saudi Eid festivities set to be most colorful yet

JEDDAH: Eid this year will be more colorful than ever, with 59 activities in 34 cities across the Kingdom catering to all age groups.
Some events will be mixed for families, while others will be men-only and women-only. Fifty-two of the events are free of charge.
Folklore documenting Saudi history and heritage will top celebrations, with Saudi Folklore Nights being held in several cities.
There will be Moroccan-themed family activities for Riyadh residents from June 30 until July 3.
The Hal Helalah festival in Riyadh’s Al-Bujairi Quarter aims to promote art via interactive activities for families. The festival takes place from June 25-30, from 4 p.m. until midnight.
Sparky’s Summer Carnival, starting June 29, will be among the festivals aimed at families and children in Riyadh.
Also starting June 29, the Happy Eid Carnival in Riyadh allows visitors to engage in 15 activities and performances, including a musical horse show, a robotic show, a Chinese band and a group of clowns from Russia.
In the Eastern Province, the Water and Light Festival will light up the Dammam corniche from June 25-27.

 

Every half an hour there is a four-minute show with 3D lasers, a dancing fountain, dancing flames and fireworks.


Jeddah will host the Jeddah Eid Festival and Eidna Bahri. The former will have activities for children such as games, competitions, theater and shows.
Eidna Bahri is a five-day family-oriented festival held in the northern lake of Jeddah’s Durrata Al-Arous tourist village.
Guests can enjoy marine activities, beach entertainment, food trucks and other services at discounted prices. A 3D laser show lighting up the Red Sea is expected to draw a massive audience.
An Eid greeting billboard will be placed on Jeddah’s pedestrian bridge on Madinah Road, part of which will be lit with every tweet containing the hashtag “share Eid with us,” launched by the General Entertainment Authority’s (GEA) Twitter account. The billboard will be fully lit once the hashtag reaches 10,000 tweets.

The Jeddah-based Alcomedy Club will take part in a major men-only event called Fawrha from June 28-30.


Activities will include a car show, exhibitions, football matches, theater, comedy, and concerts by prominent Gulf singers Ayed, Mohammed Al-Shehi and Zayed Al-Saleh.

Madinah residents can take part in the colorful Eid Kites event from June 27-29. It will include body painting, hamster ball, jumping castles, video games, food trucks, theater, stand-up comedy, light shows and a kite area.
Taif is celebrating Eid with a helium balloon floating over Al-Karr Mount from June 25-26 starting at 6 p.m., with “Eid Mubarak” written on it.

Hail’s popular Summer Festival, from June 25 until Aug. 10, will include live performances, games, arts and crafts.
In the three-day Jazan Eid Festival, children can engage in interactive games such as Breakout, in which they play with friends and figure out how to break out of the room. The Mad Science event allows youngsters to mix entertainment with learning and science.
The cities on the GEA’s Eid calendar include Al-Wajh, Najran, Abha, Yanbu, Jubail, Dareen, Skaka, Al-Baha, Buraidah, Tabuk, Huraimela, Al-Ahsa, Al-Dalam, Khamis Mshait, Shagra, Wadi Al-Dawaser, Sabia, Al-Namas, Hafr Al-Batin, Rabegh, Quraiyat and Al-Ghat.

— All photos from GEA.


King Salman receives written message from Russian President Vladimir Putin

Updated 14 sec ago
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King Salman receives written message from Russian President Vladimir Putin

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman received a written message on Thursday from Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, about relations between Moscow and Riyadh.

Waleed Al-Khuraiji, the Saudi deputy minister of foreign affairs, accepted the message on the king’s behalf during a meeting with Sergey Kozlov, the Russian ambassador to Saudi Arabia. They discussed relations between their countries and ways in which they might be enhanced, the Saudi Press Agency reported.


Saudi Arabia denounces Israeli far-right minister’s incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque

Updated 40 min 43 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia denounces Israeli far-right minister’s incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque

  • Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit and prayer at Al-Aqsa provoked ‘the feelings of Muslims worldwide’
  • The Kingdom also condemns the advance by Israeli occupation forces in southern Syria

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the visit by the Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem.

The ministry said that the national security minister’s visit and prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound on Thursday morning was a clear violation and provocation of the feelings of Muslims worldwide.

Ben-Gvir has repeatedly contested the Israeli government’s longstanding ban on Jewish prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound, which has been a focal point of tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Al-Aqsa compound in the Old City of Jerusalem is Islam’s holiest site after the mosques in Makkah and Madinah and is a symbol of Palestinian national identity.

The Saudi ministry on Thursday also condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ advance in southern Syria after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in early December.

“The continuation of (Israeli) military operations in Syria is an attempt to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security and stability,” the ministry said in a statement.


Saudi foreign minister takes part in GCC extraordinary meeting in Kuwait

Updated 26 December 2024
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Saudi foreign minister takes part in GCC extraordinary meeting in Kuwait

  • GCC officials reject foreign interference in Syrian affairs, call for lifting of Western sanctions
  • Meeting affirms GCC’s support for Palestinian people and demands ceasefire in Gaza

RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan took part in the 46th extraordinary meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s ministerial council in Kuwait on Thursday.

Ministers and officials from GCC countries discussed the latest developments in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza.

They stressed the need to uphold Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in early December.

The ministerial council rejected foreign interference in Syrian affairs and called for Western sanctions that have weakened the country’s economy to be lifted, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

They reaffirmed their support for a comprehensive transitional process that ensures civilian safety, achieves national reconciliation, and preserves state institutions.

The council condemned Israeli attacks on Syria and the plan to expand illegal settlements in the occupied Golan Heights. It also condemned Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

Officials stressed that Lebanon needs political and economic reforms to prevent it from becoming a hub for terrorism and drug smuggling, highlighting the critical role of the Lebanese security forces in addressing these issues, the SPA added.

The meeting affirmed the GCC’s support for the Palestinian people, and called for a permanent ceasefire, an end to the siege in Gaza, and the supply of humanitarian aid.

Prince Sultan bin Saad, Saudi ambassador to Kuwait, and other senior Saudi foreign officials attended the meeting.


200 students will compete to represent Saudi Arabia at top science events

Mawhiba and the Ministry of Education announced the qualification of the 200 students who are pictured above. (@mawhiba)
Updated 26 December 2024
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200 students will compete to represent Saudi Arabia at top science events

  • Mawhiba, Ministry of Education select students from a record 291,057 applications

RIYADH: A total of 200 students have been chosen to compete for a chance to represent the Kingdom at next year’s prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair and other international competitions.

The King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, or Mawhiba, and the Ministry of Education announced the qualification of the 200 students, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

The announcement took place at the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity, or Ibdaa, exhibition for science and engineering. The Ibdaa event is held to create a competitive and creative environment for pre-college scientific researchers.

The students were selected from among 480 participants in the recent regional exhibitions held as a part of the fourth stage of the Olympiad.

The final qualifying stage for the Olympiad will be held at the Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University conference center in Riyadh from Feb. 2 to 6.

The Ibdaa 2025 Olympiad had a record registration of 291,057 students.

The Olympiad is an annual international contest for middle and high school students in standards and technology. It started as a local event in Korea in 2006, and became an international contest in 2014.


Beekeepers’ association launches green campaign

Updated 26 December 2024
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Beekeepers’ association launches green campaign

RIYADH: The Beekeepers Cooperative Association in Rijal Almaa in the Asir Region on Thursday launched an initiative to plant 1,000 sidr trees in Wadi Hiswah as part of an environmental sustainability plan aligning with the Saudi Green Initiative.

Inaugurated in 2021, the Saudi Green Initiative unites environmental protection, energy transition and sustainability programs with the overarching aims of offsetting and reducing emissions, increasing afforestation and land restoration, and supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2060.

The Beekeepers Association launched the green campaign in collaboration with the National Center for Vegetation Development and Combating Desertification, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The chairman of the association’s board of directors, Ali bin Yahya Al-Hayani, said that this initiative aims to enhance air quality and combat climate change.

He identified the environmental benefits of the sidr tree, highlighting its resilience, its role in combating desertification, and its contribution to soil health and biodiversity.