JEDDAH, 2 August – It is as though an eerie silence has descended over the city as the hectic six-weeklong Jeddah 22 summer festival concluded. No more laser shows that light the Corniche skies, and the days of adventure and fun are over.
Aside from organizers of adventure and fun-filled activities, most of the malls and shopping centers reported a far more rewarding season this time compared to past seasons.
Making the annual event lustrous was a gold festival, which ran with it in tandem, with the gold and jewelry committee of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) claiming the promotion and sale of gold as an “unprecedented success.”
Grabbed by collectors were specially designed gold coins minted with the festival logos on both sides, which were sold in large quantity. The promotion, which was supported by World Gold Council, is claimed to have boosted gold and jewelry sales by 70 percent.
Rally organizers also chose the festival to put the Kingdom on the world map of motor sport by successfully staging the first ever international “Toyota rally of champions” in the city. Seen in action at the specially developed double-track at the Dallah Club in north Jeddah were 20 rally champions and drivers from the Kingdom and elsewhere. The organizer was Saudi rally driver Abdullah Bakhashab who termed the event a “big success.”
According to JCCI Secretary-General Dr. Majed Qasabi and its gold and jewelry committee head Jameel Farsi, the annual event this time was “better and bigger” than last year in many respects.
Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed presided over the formal opening of the event on June 13.
“The festival attracted much more people this time than in the previous years, and the money spent by shoppers also increased many folds compared to the previous years,” a JCCI official said without hazarding a guess about actual figures.
“It’s too early to estimate shoppers’ spending during the festival, but all estimates could be upward of SR3 billion,” he added.
Authorities had projected that over 2.5 million people would visit the city during the festival organized for the fourth consecutive year.
Last year the festival generated business worth SR1.769 billion. Of this, retail traders grabbed the lion’s share of SR721 million, followed by recreation centers. “The Jeddah festival has been successful in promoting business in the city 100 percent throughout the festival period,” Al-Qasabi said after last year’s festival.
A number of new fun-filled events were imported this time to make the festival more entertaining for children and families. Among them was the “Sinbad Show” near the Jeddah Science and Technology Center at the Corniche, which kept its audience spellbound with the adventures of the legendary sailor.
A team of artists from Canada and the US brought about the show in cooperation with ACE Events.
Another captivating event was the Bolchoi circus held in the heart of the city. There were many other shows including Dolphin, Sea Lion and Kung Fu, which children especially found entertaining and enjoyable.
By far the most laudable event was that of a charity game called “Jeddah 22 charity football match,” which was jointly organized by the JCCI, Disabled Children’s Association (DCA) and a well-known soft drink company.
The charity match was between the King Fahd Cup stars and Al-Fayed, the winning team of the Jeddah 22 Beach Football five-a-side tournament, at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal indoor stadium toward the last week of the festival. Interestingly, the response from Saudi football fans was tremendous as they attended in large numbers to encourage the teams playing the match and also to support the activities of the DCA.
“Jeddah 22 organizing committee represented by its head Jeddah Governor Prince Mishaal ibn Majed and Coca-Cola representatives will hand out the money to Prince Sultan ibn Salman, chairman of the DCA, at a special ceremony,” Mustafa Farsi, public affairs manager of Coca-Cola Saudi Arabia, said. Part of the proceeds of the match was earmarked for the DCA. Muhammad Yahya Ibrahim, an 11-year-old local resident, won a Mercedes-Benz car in a special raffle held for the fans attending the match. Forty other prizes were also distributed to winners.
Farsi said his company had forged an agreement with the DCA to launch a Kingdomwide “Friends of disabled children” program to build awareness and understanding for the cause of disabled children and raise funds to support its activities. Sports, and cultural and entertainment events will be organized as part of the program over a two-year period in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah and Jouf.
