Over one million expected to visit Saudi’s first ‘global village’ in Jeddah

The Saudi city of Jeddah will hold the kingdom’s first ‘global village’ festival for a month with up to one million people expected to visit, local daily Arab News reported.

Showcasing pavilions from roughly 50 countries, the global village will be held across an area of more than 45,000 square metres inside Atallah Happy Land Park along Jeddah’s waterfront.

Running from February 28 until March 29, the venue will run every day from 5 pm until midnight, the report said.

Suzan Eskander, director-general of International Image – the organising company – confirmed to Arab News that the event had received support from the General Entertainment Authority.

“There will be pavilions for participants from five Gulf Cooperation Council states, 10 Arab countries, 18 African countries, 10 European countries and four countries from the Americas,”

She added that folk dances from each country will be showcased with performers dressed in traditional costumes, while paintings portraying heritage and culture would be on display.

“Visitors can also enjoy dishes and traditional products from different countries,” she told the paper.

The event hopes to enhance tourism and boost the local economy and is part of the kingdom’s efforts to diversify its economy with entertainment as one of the key sectors.

Read: New mega entertainment complex launched in Riyadh

Dubai already has its own Global Village, which is currently running as part of its 23rd season.

The venue, which will run from October 30 to April 6, features 27 pavilions representing 78 countries, with a mixture of music, markets, street food and local handicrafts.

The multicultural festival park attracts more than 5.3 million guests each season with more than Dhs2.2bn worth of business transactions during its 159 days of operation each year.

Read: Dubai’s Global Village to reopen for 23rd season