Saudi Arabia’s Tantora winter festival gets extension

French solo violinist Renaud Capucon performs with pianists during the first "Winter at Tantora" music carnival, at the purpose-built Maraya (Arabic for "Mirror") concert hall in the ruins of Al-Ula, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northwestern Saudi Arabia, on January 4, 2019. (AFP)

French solo violinist Renaud Capucon salutes the audience during the first "Winter at Tantora" music carnival, at the purpose-built Maraya (Arabic for "Mirror") concert hall in the ruins of Al-Ula, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northwestern Saudi Arabia, on January 4, 2019. (AFP)

A handout picture released by the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on October 31, 2016 shows opera singer Andrea Bocelli performing on stage during the opening ceremony of the Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad grand cultural centre in the capital Kuwait City. (AFP)

• The two-week extension will allow more more arts and tourism events to be held in Al-Ula

JEDDAH: The Winter at Tantora cultural festival in Saudi Arabia will be extended until Feb. 23 with additional concerts from regional superstars, organizers said Monday.
The event, which started last month in the northern city of Al-Ula, has so far included Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli and a virtual performance from the late Egyptian entertainer Umm Kulthum.
An official festival tweet said there would also be shows from Iraqi musicians Ilham Al-Madfai and Kazem Al-Saher on Feb. 15.
Bahrain’s Rashed Al-Majid and Iraqi artist Majed Al-Mohandes will perform on Feb. 23, when there will also be a ceremony to honor Kuwait’s Abdul Karim Abdul Qader.
The two-week extension will allow more more arts and tourism events to be held in Al-Ula, the tweet added. The cultural festival is the first event of its kind to be held at the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Al-Ula has archaeological remains dating back more than 2,000 years, and festival visitors can visit sites that are only open to some ticketholders.