RIYADH, 15 November 2004 — Highlighting the capital city’s Eid festivities are the performances of several young daredevils. The spotlight has been turned full force on an incredible bungy jumping show and a series of breathtaking stunt driving displays by young Saudis. These feats of derring-do amazed a capacity crowd of some 20,000 visitors at a sprawling recreation complex on the Ring Road between Exit 10 and 11 in Riyadh. The entertainment is part of the 10-day long Eid program organized by Riyadh municipality and supported by the city’s mayoralty.
The Eid program, which started Friday afternoon, left audiences open-mouthed after witnessing daredevil car jumps and death-defying feats. The whole crowd including women and children cheered as the stuntmen rode over the vehicles parked inside the enclosure or jumped high into the air from a ramp.
“It was really amazing to see a vehicle driving on the side wall of a bunker, with the driver moving the steering wheel back and forth to keep the car upright,” said Nabil Karim, one of the spectators, who came to the recreation complex with his wife and five children. Besides the car stunts, other entertainment included motorbike stunts, camel riding for children and horse riding.
A group of clowns were also on hand to entertain the children. The clowns roamed at will throughout the recreation complex, frequently waylaid by giggling children happy to be taken on such an amusing holiday outing.
Another major highlight of the Eid program was an exhibition of traditional goods and handicrafts, featuring the culture and heritage of many countries in the Middle East. The exhibition, organized on the sidelines of the colorful Eid program, depicted all aspects of the cultural development of the Arabian Peninsula.
“The area of this exhibition will be further expanded after the conclusion of the 10-day Eid program,” said Ahmed Saeed Al-Jabarti, a staff member of the recreation complex. He mentioned that the recreation complex would be closed for five days at that time to carry out the expansion. The complex will then reopen to visitors, who will have the opportunity to enjoy similar programs until the Eid Al-Adha holidays. After the Eid Al-Adha holidays, the recreation complex will be closed until next Eid Al-Fitr. Al-Jabarti said that the current shows were in addition to roller coasters and other exciting rides.
Riyadh Municipality, which has deployed more than 100 people to man the complex, is charging SR15 per person for entry. A huge contingent of policemen has also been deployed to ensure security. The recreation complex will be open for families daily from 4 p.m. to 11.30 p.m., said Al-Jabarti. A number of companies like Pepsi, Nestle, SADAFCO, Saudi Perlite, Saudi Arabian Basic Induatries Corporation (SABIC), Nescafe, Al-Mojel Group and Saudi Public Transport Company are participating in the event.
