By Saleh Fareed
Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — It was a festival to remember as 8,000 young Saudis crowded Jeddah Center for Events & Forums and enjoyed first-class entertainment by star singers from Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well as comedy club shows, skate shows, remote controlled planes and cars, food trucks and other activities.
The three-day youth festival, which concluded Friday, provided a range of recreational activities for young men.
On Thursday night, Emirati musician Mohhamed Al-Shihhe sang and danced up a storm while hundreds took photos and shot videos on their mobile phones. The audience danced as he sang from his latest album, along with some much-loved numbers such as “Kashf Al Mahabbah,” “Hayati,” “Ya Helwa,” and many more.
Stand-up comedy witnessed a tremendous growth in popularity here in Saudi Arabia lately. The young audience enjoyed the performance of a few prominent comedians from Jeddah Comedy Club who enthralled the audience with their hilarious performances during the three days.
The so-called “Fawreha” Festival was held in Jeddah for the first time with a host of activities, including a fancy, modified and classical car show. It was an event with diverse activities where the youths enjoyed football matches between major sports clubs, theater shows and comedy shows, according to Hamza Nasser, organizing manager.
“The young men’s festival is a great way to get them out and moving during Eid,” he said.
He added that the Youth Festival was big not only in terms of participation but also in its scope. “We have more items of shows and competitions with a wider panorama of activities,” he said.
“It was a good way to bring the youth out in something positive, during the Eid celebration,” he said.
Muhannad Al-Amri, 39, came out to the festival center with his two young children, Ahmed and Thamer, as a means to get some fun in this new festival on what they called an “exciting day too nice to miss.”
“We wanted to come and see everything they had to offer out here, and we are really surprised at the amount of people that are here,” he said. “My kids really had fun during the musical concerts and they also got into the fun games offered. They had the chance to meet some of their favorite social media influencers who they always follow. Simply, it was a great event.”
The only festival for young men in Jeddah was organized by 4m Events and supported by the General Entertainment Authority.
