WWE wrestlers from the USA and Michelin star chefs from Europe, all alongside our top Arabic artists from Saudi Arabia — Riyadh Season continues to bring the world's best creative minds to our Kingdom. Just as importantly, it gives our greatest young talent the dream of sharing a stage with them. It has become a wonderful, inclusive showcase of both our heritage and future in a global context. The glorious parade and fireworks display of the opening ceremony last October showed what we can offer on a world stage. But more than this, it proved we can play a powerful role in bringing cultures together while celebrating our own rich history. The sheer ambition of the Riyadh Season concept is awe-inspiring and suggests what we can achieve through Vision 2030 is limitless. Its first edition in 2019 was meant to last from October to December, but extended to January, welcoming 10 million visitors. By the time the 2021 edition ends in March 2022, more than 7,000 events would have been held over five months. As well as giving our people the chance to see the world's best performers, the seasons also generate billions of riyals to invest back into the arts here. There were 750,000 people alone at the opening ceremony, and I too had the privilege to marvel at the spectacle recently. From electronic games, shopping, entrepreneurs, children's toys, fast cars, theatrical performances and Arabic plays, it is aimed at everyone. Undoubtedly it has created many jobs, led to foreign investment and apparently earned some Guinness World Record certificates. But for me, the greatest achievement is that it has both brought the world to Saudi Arabia, and taken us to the world. For all the people it brings here, they can see how the Kingdom is changing, and share in our exciting vision of the future. I'm confident they will want to return and festivals such as Riyadh Season will help us become a major tourist destination. It has also broadened all of our horizons and put bold images in our mind that we may never have experienced in the past. Our youth can mix with others from around the world who have achieved great things, and realize they too can do this. Their minds and eyes will be opened, allowing them to aspire to great futures and helping to shape their personalities. Riyadh Season is a learning curve for all of us in many ways. It will make us more accepting and open to other cultures while also celebrating and maintaining our own Islamic identity and roots. While some have criticized the festival, we must all look at the positives and applaud the vision of those that brought us this spectacular gathering. The government and General Entertainment Authority Chief Turki Al-Sheikh told us to "just imagine more" when they launched it. We all have great ideas and dreams. Riyadh Season surely teaches us that these could one day come true, on this stage or one of our own. — Dr. Ghadeer Talal Melibari, holder of PhD in English from University of Hertfordshire, UK, is currently working as Assistant Professor of English teaching at Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah.
