Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki Al-Asheikh inaugurated the Riyadh Season events at the Boulevard zone in the northern part of the capital on Thursday night, with an audience exceeding 600,000 people witnessing the colorful start to the Riyadh spectacle. In his speech, Al-Asheikh stressed that these accomplishments and changes wouldn't have been made were it not for the support of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, praying to Allah Almighty to protect him and grant the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman a long life. Then he declared the season open. On the Riyadh Season inauguration night, the most magnificent fireworks show was launched from several locations, so that they could be seen all over the capital. Riyadh Season received its visitors, who sat on specially made stands to watch the splendid parade and carnival in which over 1,500 performers donning special, unique and colorful costumes took part, aside from 25 floats carrying the names of several international artists who are participating in the Riyadh Season events. The events also included motorcycle shows. The parade kicked off at 9:00 p.m. with the participation of a specialist arts team. At the end of the parade by 10:30 p.m., the fountain shows, cafes zone and outdoor cinema were inaugurated. Theaters and nine events extended in the Boulevard zone on an area exceeding 400,000 sq. meters. This zone is scheduled to witness nine events for all segments of the society. The theater named after the Saudi singer Muhammad Abdu has a capacity for an audience of 22,000, the late Abubakr Salim theater has a capacity for 6,000 people while the late Abubakr Al-Shiddi theater can accommodate an audience of 2,000. — SG/SPA
