Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Snow in Jeddah, that too in the month of July? Sounds unimaginable? But this has been made possible at Al Shallal Theme Park thanks to EverSnow, a French company that specializes in producing artificial snow.

“We have received more than 6,000 visitors ever since we opened Snow Land in Eid on June 15,” Yahya Madkhali, activities manager at Al Shallal Theme Park, told Saudi Gazette.

“Jeddah residents are not used to snow, so the response has been tremendous,” said Alexandre Sut, EverSnow regisseur.

Snow Land has a 300 square meter snow garden for fun activities for families, a buoy slide ramp and an ice skating rink.

Jeddah’s coolest place will remain in the city for one more month .

However, Yahya said that Al Shallal Theme Park has plans to expand the Snow Land activities area.

“We are planning to keep Snow Land open till the first day of school,” he said.

Al Shallal Theme Park, which is spread on an area of more than 60,000 square meters, is planning more fun-filled activities for families.

Its Slingshot and roller coaster rides are very popular among visitors who are thronging the theme park even on weekdays as students are having a long summer break.

Besides the rides, the planetarium, and the Arcade games, Al Shallal park has many fast food snack cafes. But the place to dine is the Hainan Chinese restaurant. Nestled in the shade of trees by the side of an artificially created flowing stream, the restaurant offers scrumptious authentic Chinese cuisine.

Yahya said that Al Shallal is brining two new exciting rides, one of which is going to open by the end of summer.

The latest addition at Al Shallal is going to be a 40-meter-high zipline, he said.

Yahya said the Fakieh Group, which runs Al Shallal Theme Park, Fakieh Aquarium, Sail Island, Al Naurus, and many other recreational places for families in Jeddah is planning to team up with the General Entertainment Authority to promote entertainment and culture in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

To attract visitors Al Shallal runs promotions from time to time. The current promotion allows a 50 percent discount on entry tickets if a person brings three empty Pepsi cans.

They also have loyalty, group tour and membership programs.

The Fakieh Group is also fulfilling its corporate social responsibility. Al Shallal Theme Park opens its gates every Sunday to orphans who enjoy free rides and activities at the park from the time it opens at 5 p.m. till it closes at 2.30 a.m.