– Riyadh Season 2, the Middle East’s largest ever entertainment event, kicked off in pomp and style that featured in impressive parade, dazzling shows of drones and spectacular fireworks that lit up the skies of the capital city. Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), announced on Wednesday evening the grand opening of Riyadh Season 2021 in the presence of a record number of more than 750,000 people while millions followed it through live broadcasts on a number of TV channels, websites and electronic platforms. Addressing the mammoth crowd, Al-Sheikh said: “Our slogan in the Riyadh Season 1 was “Imagine,” and now in the Season 2 our slogan is “Imagine more. ”As we have an inspiring leadership, every Saudi can push for a much higher level of ambitions and achieving dream,” he said. Al-Sheikh began his speech, with extending sincere thanks and gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman for their unlimited support for the entertainment sector. He described the Crown Prince as the inspiring leader and the godfather of the Vision 2030. “Instead of traveling the world around, we brought the world to you in one place,” Al-Sheikh also tweeted as opening ceremony tickets sold out within one hour of going on sale. Al-Sheikh’s announcement was followed by an impressive parade with participation of over 1,500 performers in unique costumes, and dazzling shows featuring over 2,760 drones that made the colorful opening ceremony an incredible and mesmerizing experience for hundreds of thousands of people thronged the Boulevard Plus Riyadh City. The grand opening had all the ingredients and icons to turn the Saudi entertainment extravaganza into a global carnival. The dazzling display of more than 2760 drones displayed images of King Salman and the Crown Prince as well as displays of welcoming the participants in a number of international languages, in addition to the logos of various regions and activities of the Riyadh Season 2021. The first day activities of the Season reflected the spirit of the festival, which hosted a number of colorfully decorated masquerade teams and vibrant music with international rhythms in the presence of a number of renowned personalities from around the world. The opening ceremony included a number of local and international events, as huge fireworks shows lit up the sky of Riyadh at various sites such as the Kingdom Tower and Al-Majdoul Tower, in addition to a number of live performances, Samaritan dance performances, chariot shows, and a show of the Flying Man. The activities of the first day concluded with the concert of the renowned international rapper Pitbull, which was awaited by a large number of local and international audiences. There are 88 food trucks at the parade ground, showcasing wide variety of mouth-watering dishes from around the world as well as health care services and mobile medical clinics. The grand opening ceremony witnessed mammoth presence of visitors of all nationalities, who came to witness the events after confirming their tickets and health status on the Tawakkalna application. All the parking lots of the Riyadh Season parade ground have reached their full capacity, and hence the Season’s Twitter account alerted everyone who did not find a parking to go directly to the stations of shuttle bus services, where 70 buses are waiting to serve visitors of all categories. The Riyadh Season will see 7,500 astounding events and fun-filled activities across 14 entertainment zones spreading over a total area of 5.4 million square meters during the festival that will run through until March 2022. These zones include Boulevard Plus Riyadh City, Riyadh Front, VIA Riyadh, Combat Field, Riyadh Winter Wonderland, Al-Murabaa, Riyadh Safari, Al-Athriyah, Riyadh Oasis, The Groves, Nabd al-Riyadh, Zaman Village, Al-Salam Tree, and Khaloha.