Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — As many as 20 festivals and tourist activities will be held all over the Kingdom during the school mid-year vacation starting at the end of this week, according to the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). The SCTA and its partners have finalized all preparations and arrangements for the festivals that will cover activities related to culture, heritage, sports, entertainment and others. The Eastern Province will witness five events including a nine-day East Coast Naval Heritage Festival. The events also include the festival named the “Spring of the Eastern Province” that will be held simultaneously in Dammam and Al-Khobar. There will be a festival for productive families in Jubail, a science and technology festival in Al-Khobar and another one in Al-Khafji to be held under the title “We are all Khafjis”. Hail will host its international rally on Mar. 19-27 while the Bride of the Red Sea will host a festival titled “Let Us Shop in Jeddah”. Makkah will host the Second Hara (residential area) Festival. Three festivals will be held in Madinah region including the Yanbu Naval Show, the Flower Exhibition in Madinah and the Gold Show in Mahd Al-Dhahab. Qassim will witness four festivals, three in Onaiza on heritage and popular foods and one in Buraidah for handicrafts. Asir, in the south, will have the Abha Spring Festival while Tabuk, in the north, will witness a special exhibition titled “Horses and Cardamom”. Jazan and Najran will both hold heritage festivals. The SCTA has, meanwhile, warned all hotels and furnished apartments against increasing their prices during the vacation and asked all citizens and expatriates to report any violation in this regard.
