Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Artistic director bids to celebrate Saudi’s cultural identity with festival

Artistic director bids to celebrate Saudi’s cultural identity with festival

One of the most famous Italian artistic directors and producers is looking to organize a festival of Saudi culture to celebrate its unique identity.
Valerio Festi envisages open-air events and installations in several cities to help mark the Kingdom’s history and culture, and its vision for the future.

Bologna-born Festi has been responsible for many international open-air celebrations based on the traditions of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

For years he has created these spectacular events, in Europe and the Arab world, including his latest, when lights, dance, water and a huge hot air balloon were utilized to mark the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar.

The artist lived in Saudi Arabia for a few months in 2020 to work on the opening event for the G20 summit in Riyadh, but it was canceled because of COVID-19 restrictions.

He told Arab News: “I had the opportunity of getting to know Saudi Arabia and its people directly, and to appreciate its extraordinary background of culture and traditions, an immense treasury which I believe is not known enough about abroad.

“That memory, that treasury must be publicized and become as well-known as the huge achievements of the Kingdom throughout the years. A story of success could not happen without such a background.”

He added that he is convinced that “the fashion of the Saudi past was father to the country’s present success.”

He added: “That's a story which must be told, with a festival.

“I propose myself to be the art director of that festival, which will be held in Saudi cities and brought alive by local and international artists who would perform and make their mark with lights, music, dance and other works of artistic merit.

“It would bring intensity to such a complex and rich past, which is the basis for a spectacular future.”

Festi is now looking for a patron, someone he describes as a mecenate, for his project.

He said: “I’m looking for someone who wants to organize a series of shows going on at least for one month in several Saudi cities.

“This would be a unique festival for everyone to enjoy. It would be held in open spaces and enriched with installations of Saudi artworks which would mark the dialogue of the Kingdom with its future.”

Festi is supported in his quest by the Italian Saudi Business Group, a not-for-profit association based in Milan. It has operated since 2013 in Jeddah under the patronage of the Italian Consulate General and the city’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

ISBG President Alessandra Serafini said: “Festi represents one of the Italian excellences in his field, and we are happy to collaborate and promote his work in Saudi Arabia.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×