ABHA — The "Abha-getting-us-together" festival will kick off today (Monday). Asir Gov. Prince Faisal Bin Khaled, who is sponsoring the event, will personally attend the function. Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Umrah, director of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage in the province, said a special theater has been prepared for the occasion. Al-Umrah, who is the secretary general of the board of tourist development in Asir, told Al-Madina daily on Sunday that the theater has various dimensions and areas reflecting the kaleidoscopic nature of the province with its fertile land, beautiful scenery and raining skies. "There will be manual screens and an European laser show in addition to fire-cylinders which can shoot up flames to about two meters high," he added. Al-Umrah said the show would continue for two hours with European companies specialized in lighting managing it. He explained that the theater is 40 meters long and 20 meters wide with an eight-meter high decor to dazzle the spectators. He said the theater was constructed in Jeddah at a special workshop for about a month before it was shifted to Abha to host the opening gala night that will announce the beginning of the city's summer festival. Al-Umrah said the total area of the open theater is estimated to be 5,000 square meters which contains the Kingdom's flag which is 60 meter long and 14 meters high. He said a number of government departments in addition to local and foreign firms would participate in the show, which will end with fireworks and laser presentations. He also said billboards advertising the festival have been erected in various cities and towns inviting people to attend the festival which will include theatrical shows, folklore dances and other activities to promote tourism in the region. 1.8 million visitors witness Riyadh fest Meanwhile, in Riyadh, with more that 1.8 million visitors, Riyadh municipal rounded off its Eid Al-Fitr celebrations and events on Friday. The Eid celebrations in Riyadh included many special events such as, street art, and Eid carnival marches, which wandered through a number of neighborhoods greeting citizens and residents of nearby locations of their homes. Citizens and residents also enjoyed around seven plays that were showcased for men, women, children, special needs groups, including a play named, ‘Qais and Doll'. The play discussed a number of social issues in a comedic light style. ‘Five Stars School', was another showcased play during the celebration that exposed the cons of education in private schools and their focus on entertainment aspects more than the educational process. Riyadh municipality declared on Saturday that the diversity in the presented events to fit the entire society segments was one of the vital points to be achieved during the three days of celebration.
