Taif Rose Festival concluded its activities, setting new records in its second edition, as it witnessed a significant growth in terms of the number of visitors. As many as 957,000 people from different segments of society, including residents of Taif governorate and tourists, visited Taif Rose Festival during the blessed Eid Al-Fitr holiday. The festival showcased more than 50 diverse activities, including live artistic and musical performances, folk items and shows, as well as many other events that were adorned with the fragrance of roses. The venue was equipped with rose sculptures, hanging chandeliers and baskets of roses where visitors could pose for souvenir pictures, in addition to enjoying the cultural street activities. The festival sought to empower the male and female citizens of Taif and develop their skills related to the cultivation and production of roses, in a way that contributes to the sustainability of this promising economic sector and the cultural symbolism of the Taif governorate, which has been known for thousands of years. This is done through practical application in an interesting manner and managed by a group of professional trainers. The festival was distinguished by the participation of more than 700 young men and women from Taif governorate in its management and organization and in the various locations of its five events, which enhanced their skills and opened their horizons to discover promising opportunities in the field of event management and organization. In terms of defining cultural identity at the global level, the "Taif Rose Basket" was recorded as one of the festival's activities as the largest in the world, according to the Guinness World Organization certificate, breaking the record for the basket of roses registered as "Singapore Rose Basket". The dimensions of Taif rose basket were 12.129 meters in length, 7.98 meters in width and 1,297 meters in height, while the dimensions of the Singaporean rose basket were 9.47 meters in length, 6 meters in width and 1.2 meters in height. The Taif Rose Festival was organized by the Ministry of Culture to celebrate the cultural, heritage and creative values associated with Taif rose for nine centuries. — SPA
