DUBAI: In line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, The Fridge entertainment company — founded in Dubai by South African entrepreneur Shelley Frost — is creating an engaging display of performances for music and culture fans and shining a spotlight on the Kingdom’s artists.
Recently the company curated a cultural program for Diriyah Nights as part of Diriyah Season, running until Feb. 22. The event offers a platform for emerging and established Saudi and regional artists to showcase their work.
The Fridge entertainment company is founded in Dubai by South African entrepreneur Shelley Frost. (Supplied)
In an interview with Arab News, the managing director said: “During recent years, the growth of the culture and entertainment ecosystem in Saudi Arabia has been meteoric and it is evolving into a leading destination very quickly within the Middle East.
“That is very much thanks to the visionary initiatives of the Saudi government and the massive social transformation that has catapulted the Kingdom into this new era.”
Oud at Diriyah. (Supplied)
Frost’s company, which also consulted for the Red Sea International Film Festival on its entertainment program in December, has been working on events in Saudi Arabia for the past three years.
When it comes to Diriyah Season, she said that what makes the event unique is its location in the center of the historic district.
Andrea Bocelli at AlUla. (Supplied)
“Two-hundred-year-old palm trees have been brought to life in around two months, with over 20,000 lights. This is a real return to celebrating heritage in a place that is quite organic,” she said. “I see Diriyah as the heartbeat of the nation, where the integrity, the values … the nation were born.”
The Fridge’s wider Saudi portfolio includes the entertainment for the dining experience Awna at Hegra, a curated music program for the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, in Dhahran, and a series of orchestral events in Neom.
Balqees at Red Sea International Film Festival. (Supplied)
“There is an extremely positive momentum and I think that the future is extremely bright (for Saudi Arabia),” she said. “There’s no sign of things slowing down. We’re going to see that continuing on an upward trajectory through the coming years. You know the Vision 2030 in terms of national strategy is extremely clear, and the entertainment market has been earmarked to play a very large role in that.”
“There is a huge focus on Saudi and regional talent and that is very strongly felt,” she said. “It is already a very, very large part of our bookings and our programming.”
