Jeddah's Old Town set to take center stage with the arrival of BALAD BEAST music festival
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Riyadh: The attention of music lovers near and far is firmly fixed on Jeddah's Old Town for the highly anticipated Balad Beast, the debuting multi-genre arts and music festival which gets underway on Friday.
Presented by Saudi music and entertainment company MDLBEAST, the brand new event is taking place over two days on December 9 and 10 as more than 70 local, regional, and international artists perform within the famous neighborhood and UNESCO World Heritage site's epic surroundings.
The latest illustration of MDLBEAST's commitment to amplify the unseen, channel music innovation, deliver world-class productions, and bring communities together to create, make noise and inspire generations, Balad Beast is the company's first festival to be held in the Red Sea coastal city.
Besides the winning formula of jubilant crowds and a star-studded line-up, the event will be all the more mesmerizing and immersive thanks to a unique lighting and image projection system that reawakens Al Balad's ancient surrounds and provides a one-of-a-kind light, sound, and music setting worthy of an at event of such size and scale. Old Town's iconic buildings will have colorful, vibrant visuals projected on their walls throughout the two-day festival, showcasing the richness of Saudi culture, art, and architecture.
What's more, there's something on offer for fans of every musical preference. From hip-hop to house, electronic dance to techno, rap, and indie, artists from varying disciplines will showcase their talent and perform from five different stages across the festival site, ushering in a new chapter of arts and music entertainment for Old Town and the local community.
Ramadan Alharatani, CEO, MDLBEAST, said: "After months of behind-the-scenes preparations, we are delighted that the time has finally come for Jeddah's Old Town to take center stage and host the first-ever Balad Beast. A boutique event brining renowned headliners, emerging talent, and cutting-edge features together in a historic, culturally significant site, we are proud to fuse the past with the present and thrust the spotlight on both Jeddah's history and vast potential to become a thriving local and regional hub for music."
To celebrate the arrival of Balad Beast and cap off the pre-event promotion, MDLBEAST tonight welcomed local and regional media for an exclusive press preview in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Culture.Media attendees were welcomed by Ramadan Alharatani, who explained the inspiration behind Balad Beast and detailed how the site will be preserved during the event before joining the media on a tour of the festival's surroundings within Old Town's famed districts.
"A historical area like Al Baladurges us to deal with it with caution. This is why we limited the daily capacity to 12,000 visitors. We also did various extensive sound testing across the past two weeks to measure the effect of the sound vibrations and waves on the area's buildings and make sure we cap the volume at a safe limit. We look forward to welcoming the audience and giving them a unique experience that brings together art music, history and culture." he added.
Balad Beast will be headlined by hip-hop royalty with U.S rapper Busta Rhymes making his way to Saudi Arabia for the festival, whilst era-defining DJ Carl Coxis also part of the action-packed bill. Italian duo Tale of Us will also be there, along with Lupe Fiasco, Salvatore Ganacci,as will local artists including Dorar, Dana Hourani, Biirdperson, and Kayan.
Tickets for Balad Beast are available now across two tiers: General Admission, which offers access to all five stages of the event, and VIB, which will give ticketholders the privilege of accessing the historic building lounges, entrance from a separate VIB gate, and complimentary gourmet food.