RIYADH: One of Saudi Arabia’s most popular cultural festivals will be held in November next year to coincide with the Kingdom’s hosting of the G20 summit in Riyadh.
The Saudi Ministry of Culture announced the date for the new launch of the national Janadriyah festival after taking over supervision of the event from the Ministry of National Guard last July.
Preparations for the festival are already underway and Ministry of Culture spokesman, Abdulkarim Al-Humaid, said a strong program of activities was being lined up to highlight the Kingdom’s rich national heritage.
With the 2020 G20 summit of global leaders taking place in the Saudi capital on Nov. 21 and 22, the Janadriyah festival would provide the opportunity for visitors from around the world to sample some of the country’s cultural traditions, added Al-Humaid.
He said the ministry had started organizing a series of meetings and workshops with experts and intellectuals to discuss ways of developing the festival and enriching it with cultural content that kept pace with the ambitions of the Vision 2030 reform plan.
The National Guard ministry had run 34 sessions of the festival since its inauguration in 1985, and the event has gained international recognition with visits from world leaders, senior officials and intellectuals.
