The biggest masquerade party in Saudi Arabia during the Riyadh season
The Boulevard district of Riyadh City and Winter Wonderland in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has turned into an arena filled with masquerades, as part of the Masquerade Festival activities, which were revived by the General Entertainment Authority during the Riyadh season.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is witnessing the largest masquerade party in the country, which takes place during the activities of the Riyadh Season in its second edition during the spring vacation.
In a tweet, Riyadh Season warned its visitors who will attend the Masquerade Festival not to bring sharp accessories or dangerous tools, for their own safety.
The organizers of the festival also called on the participants to abide by and maintain public taste.
The head of the General Authority for Entertainment and advisor to the Royal Court, Turki Al-Sheikh, had urged people not to miss “the biggest masquerade party in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.
And he said in a tweet: “Whoever wears a costume as a superhero or anime character on March 17th, or a movie or series character on March 18th, will be allowed free entry to Riyadh Boulevard, Winter Wonderland, with daily prizes for the best participants.”
#masquerade_festival
The hashtag #masquerade_festival topped the list of the most popular hashtags in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a number of Arab countries.
The Riyadh Season account published pictures of the participants in the Masquerade Festival, and commented: “We saw the sweet characters and the terrible costumes at the largest Masquerade Festival in Saudi Arabia. We had fun with you yesterday in Riyadh City Boulevard, and we are waiting for you tonight.”
The head of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia, Turki Al-Sheikh, participated in the Masquerade Festival, through a video clip, which he posted on his Twitter account, in which he appeared disguised as Homer Simpson, one of the heroes of the famous cartoon series “The Simpsons”.
And the Sheikh said in the video: “I am happy today with your participation in the masquerade party in the Boulevard and Wonderland. We invite you tomorrow for a bigger and stronger masquerade party. I wish I was with you. Greetings to the people of Riyadh.”
The tweet was accompanied by a sentence: “My message to all our visitors today, and we are waiting for you tomorrow with a stronger disguise… Surprise me… I love you… Riyadh Season.”
The festival sparked widespread controversy on social media, and tweets were divided between supporters and opponents of it.
Many criticized the openness that Saudi Arabia is witnessing, and one of the tweeters said: “What happened to the country of the Two Holy Mosques? This is the development that Ibn Salman promised us? This is the empowerment of women? Saudi women have become a cheap commodity that is displayed everywhere and is marketed by any means.”
Many activists attacked Al Sheikh, because of “what he did in the sacred land of God by spreading dancing and singing and destroying the customs of Saudi society, under the guise of openness and progress,” they said.
Activists did not forget the executions that took place a few days ago.
Anas said: “The Boulevard area of Riyadh City and Wonderland is hosting the first masquerade party of its kind in the Riyadh season, four days following the kingdom executed 81 Saudi citizens without a fair trial. Saudi Arabia is a man in the twenty-first century and another man in the twenty-first century only.”
Others expressed their happiness at participating in the festival, thanking the head of the Entertainment Authority for the “good choice”.
Riyadh season
It is an international entertainment festival held in the city of Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and aims to transform it into a global tourist entertainment destination, in accordance with the objectives of the Quality of Life Program, one of the programs of the Saudi Vision 2030.
Riyadh Season first kicked off in 2019 and attracted more than 10 million visitors, and its second season kicked off on October 20, 2021, following stopping in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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