Tourism & Hospitality | Sunday 25 November, 2018 5:26 am |

Jeddah’s Corniche was full of smiles, laughter, curiosity and exhilaration this afternoon as it was packed with families trying simulators and games and enjoying the entertainment at the ‘Road to Ad Diriyah’, giving people a glimpse of the three-day festival of racing, live music and culture on offer at the ‘Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix’ December 15.

After the official inauguration that took place on Thursday in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Faisal Al Saud, President of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation, and Princess Haifa al Saud, Secretary General of the Formula E local organising committee, people were eager to thunder down the straights of the Hong Kong Formula E street circuit in a SAR250,000 professional racing simulator. Equally popular was feeling the sensation of flying in the interactive ‘Icaros’ VR experience. Families lounged in the seaside outdoor cinema, showing child-friendly movies and cool clips from Formula E. Friends battled it out in the watt bike race, and took selfies with the brand new Gen2 Formula E car on exclusive display.

A visitor who came with his family to the village said: “We didn’t know much about Formula E before this event. Now we are very excited to go watch the race in December! It is amazing that Jeddah Corniche hosts such engaging activities, my family had so much fun. I would really advise the people who are living in Jeddah to pass by with their families and enjoy new technologies and a weekend that will put a smile on their face.”

Today was the second to last day of the qualifying for the ‘ABB FIA Formula E Road to Ad Diriyah’ eSports championship, where contestants compete for a total prize of SAR 1,000,000. After the last qualifying day in Jeddah, Saturday November 24, the two best contestants will be invited to the finals in Ad Diriyah on race day during the ‘Saudia’ Ad Diriyah E-Prix. 

“We really want to see two strong contestants representing Jeddah in the finals, so we urge everyone who has not yet tried to show up on Saturday to qualify” said one of the championship officials.

This weekend’s event is a taste of what’s to come in three weeks as the inaugural ‘Saudia’ Ad Diriyah E-Prix marks both the beginning of the fifth season of the ABB FIA Formula E and the first ever Formula E race in the Middle East. Formula E’s new Gen2 race cars will compete wheel to wheel on the streets of historical Ad Diriyah on the outskirts of Riyadh. 

Off the track, world class music artists will play on stages throughout the capital, in what is set to become the biggest concerts in Saudi history. Contemporary and modern artists and breathtaking cultural experiences will showcase Saudi heritage and culture, also to the world, as international visitors now get 30-day visas for the Formula E through the Sharek visa portal.

Tickets are offered at the event on the Corniche and at http://fiaformulae.com/Ad-Diriyahfrom SAR 395 only, for both the Formula E race, concerts and the activities experiences. 

The ‘Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix’ is the first in a 10-year partnership between ABB FIA Formula E and the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia (GSA) and the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF).