JEDDAH — Fighter jets from the Royal Saudi Air Forces on Tuesday participated with displaying spectacular and impressive air shows in the cities of Jeddah and Taif to mark the beginning of celebrations of Saudi Arabia's 91st National Day, which falls on Thursday, Sept. 23. The K3-MRTT, the Hawks Team, and the painted combat aircraft participated in the parade. The air shows in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah and the tourist city of Taif will be followed by massive air shows and military parade in the capital city of Riyadh on Thursday. Preparations are in full swing for the grand celebrations of the National Day with full patriotic fervor and pride in all cities, regions and governorates across the Kingdom. Dazzling fireworks will be held at around 9 p.m. on Thursday in 13 cities in all parts of the Kingdom. The main roads and streets across the Kingdom have been decorated with flags and green illuminations. The municipalities decorated public places as well as heritage and historical sites and buildings to celebrate the festive occasion. The General Entertainment Authority (GEA), in cooperation with the mayoralties and municipalities of various regions, has completed preparations to hold interactive shows and public events in several cities under the slogan "It is a home for us". A variety of theatrical and heritage activities and exhibitions of national paintings will also be held in a number of Saudi regions. The skies of Riyadh will witness massive air shows with the participation of the Saudi Hawks Team, fighter planes as well as civil aviation aircraft. Helicopters, carrying National Flags, will display one-hour long air shows from 4 p.m. near the North Industrial Building in Riyadh. The Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with GEA, is organizing the hour-long military parade during which women will participate for the first time. The parade also features setting up of a museum showcasing the most prominent artifacts from various sectors under the Ministry of Interior. The Royal Guard forces will stage a parade of their special teams, and will display old cars that were used during the periods of various kings of Saudi Arabia, in addition to parade of horses and display of musical bands. The parade will start at 4 p.m. and will conclude by 8 p.m. This will be followed by musical concerts and artistic performances at 8 p.m. at King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh. Several prominent singers will perform at the event. Eng. Saeed Al-Qarni, acting deputy mayor of Jeddah for community service, said a wide variety of programs and activities will be performed as part of the National Day celebrations. Citizens, residents and visitors of Jeddah can enjoy folk arts performances during two days. Children's competitions and roaming dolls shows will be held at the King Abdulaziz Cultural Center. The display of mural plastic art show, representing national painting design in accordance with the identity of the National Day, will be part of the celebrations. Al-Qarni said that the municipality would hold an exhibition football match at the Fireball Stadium on Prince Sultan Street, with the participation of a group of artists and sports stars. There will also be a cycling event with the participation of 50 cyclists and bikes belonging to the Courage Cycling Club, which will start from the Mayoralty Street, passing through the Central Corniche, Palestine Street and Andalus Street and then back to the Mayoralty Street. He said the activities would include launching two initiatives for afforestation and increasing green areas, in cooperation with the Al Birr Charity Association and a commercial company, in Al-Yamama Walkaway, Al-Nakheel Park, Prince Naif Street and Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Walkaway. For its part, the Oyoun Jeddah Charity Association, in cooperation with the mayoralty, intends to launch six various activities, including the Jeddawiya photo exhibition, the Oyoun Jeddah Championship for multiple games, the coloring of the National Day logo and the National Day mural, the National Day 91 electronic competition, as well as folk songs and dances. The local authorities in the Eastern Province began their preparations to celebrate the National Day with decorating streets with flags and green lights, in addition to paintings that carried major landmarks of the region, such as the old Emirate Palace in Dammam, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran (Ithra) and many archaeological monuments and aesthetic models in the region. The governorates of the Eastern Province will witness staging of national song events, old car shows and screening of national documentaries on this occasion, in addition to distributing more than 5,000 gifts among citizens and residents.
