While National Day itself falls on Friday, there will be 10 days packed with an array of parades, musical performances, fireworks displays, and even a Saudi-themed Cirque du Soleil show from Sunday.

Royal Saudi Air Force fighters will perform acrobatic air shows with Typhoons, Tornados, and F-15 pulling off stunts over the skies of various cities for 10 days, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The Royal Guard will parade through Riyadh and Jeddah to the tune of the national anthem played by a military band, and they will be followed by a procession of classic cars.

The Royal Saudi Naval Forces will also take part in a cavalry march, as well as a naval parade involving ships of the Special Maritime Security Group, and an aerial helicopter parade in Jeddah and Khobar.

A specially-designed Cirque du Soleil show entitled ‘The Wealth of a Nation’ will be performed at Riyadh’s Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University theatre from September 21 to 24.

Arab musicians including Mohammed Abdo, Abadi, al-Jawhar, Rabeh Saqr, Majed al-Mohandes, Ahlam, Angham, and Ahmed Saad will be performing.

The Ministry of Interior is also organizing its own festivities that will include live music from the military band and other performances.

There will be major fireworks displays over the skies of 18 cities across the Kingdom, and public parks will host history and heritage exhibitions.

In Medina, a theatrical performance narrating the Kingdom’s history through the ages, will be held at the Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz Sports City.

Saudi Arabia’s National Day commemorates the unification of the Kingdoms of Nejd and Hijaz by King Abdulaziz in 1932.

It was made into a national holiday by King Abdullah in 2005 and differs from ‘Founding Day’ –- a new holiday that was introduced in February 2022 to mark the founding of the first Saudi state in 1727.

Full details of the events can be found on the enjoy.sa website.