Tourism & Hospitality | Saturday 18 July, 2015 5:31 am |

Fifty-seven festivals are planned as part of this year’s summer “Saudi Summer 2015” to be organized across the Kingdom by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) in cooperation with provincial Tourist Development Councils (TDCs).

The TDCs will host these festivals, featuring various events including entertainment, shopping, cultural, heritage, social, sports and desert programs and activities exclusively devoted to agricultural products of the region, an SCTNH official said on Friday.
He reported that Madinah will host Taiba Summer Festival 2015 from Aug. 12-25; Najran will host Najran Summer 2015 from July 26-Aug. 10; Hail will host Hail Summer 2015 from July 17-Aug. 15; Jazan will host Jazan Summer 2015 on its waterfront for 10 days, starting from the first day of Eid-Al-Fitr (Friday); the resort city of Taif will host the Okaz Shopping Festival 2015 from Aug. 12 to Aug. 25; and Al-Baha will host the Honey International Festival for five days starting from July 26 at Ragdan Forest Park.
Qassim will host the date festival from July 31 to Sept. 14; Onaiza Summer Festival will run from July 23 to Sept. 13; the four-day long Al-Khobra Heritage festival will start Saturday; and Al-Badai Date Festival will open Aug. 10 and run until Sept. 4.
Al-Jouf will host three festivals — Al-Jouf Helwah Festival in Sakaka from July 23 to Sept. 13; Sefak Ala Kaifak Festival in Al-Qurrayat from July 31 to Sept. 14; and Kaf Summer Festival in Al-Qurrayat from the second to the fifth day of Eid-Al-Fitr.
The Eastern Province will also host several summer festivals that include the dates and palms festival in Jubail from Aug. 4 to Sept. 12; Eastern Province Summer Festival 2015 in Dammam from July 31 to Sept. 12, besides featuring a number of sports and entertainment activities and events from mid-July to-mid August in Dammam and Alkhobar.
The Bin Khaldoon Zaman Festival will be held from July 16 to Aug. 2 and an exhibition titled “Your Planet Needs You” will run in Alkhobar from July 18 to Sept. 17.
Tabuk will host several festivals including the Tema Festival for ten days starting July 31; the Amlaj Maritime Festival from July 21 to July 26; Tabuk Summer Festival from Aug. 5 to Sept. 28; the Haglana Wanasa Festival from Aug. 10-15; Al-Dar Darak Festival in Deba from Aug. 5 to Aug. 16; and Al-Wajh Wajhatna Festival from Aug. 10-16.