A four-day electronic music festival called MDL Beast Soundstorm has been endorsed by the government.
The party in the Saudi desert looked like any other until the music stopped in service of a Muslim call to prayer, leaving attendees dressed in ripped jeans and combat boots must stand silent.
Fifteen minutes later – religious duties accomplished – thousands of partygoers were back in business. Men and women danced when abandoned in a country that five years ago could not have been imagined.
This weekend’s electronic music festival in Saudi Arabia has highlighted the changes happening in the conservative kingdom under the controversial crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. In just a few years, the prince lifted the ban on women driving, loosened sexism and smeared religious police, who often roamed the streets punishing restaurants that played music.
In contrast, a four-day festival called MDL Beast Soundstorm has been endorsed by the government and includes performances by global DJs such as Tiesto and Armin van Buuren. Organizers say more than 180,000 people attended opening night, pushing boundaries as the kingdom transformed.
“Allow us to progress, allow us to express ourselves in the way that we feel is appropriate,” said Prince Fahad Al Saud, a royal family member and businessman in attendance in a coat has psychedelic textures and glittery eyeliner, say. “We’re eager to be part of the international community, but we can’t be held back every time we try to make progress because it’s not what you want to see.”
Indeed, the festival is part of a dizzying month in which Saudi Arabia hosts a Formula One race, two separate artistic biennials and a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron. They all underline the fact that any boycott on the world stage has largely been passed on to Crown Prince Mohammed, who has faced a global outcry in the wake of the critic’s murder. Jamal Khashoggi’s government in 2018 by Saudi agents in Istanbul.
The prince’s plans to diversify the oil-dependent economy call for the development of new sectors such as entertainment and tourism. And after closing the kingdom’s borders for much of the coronavirus pandemic, officials seem eager to make up for lost time – even as the omicron variant of the virus causes cases to rise in other countries.
At a recent international film festival in Jeddah, women strutted the red carpet in sleeveless gowns and an open-minded man, Adam Ali, won Best Actor. British supermodel Naomi Campbell was photographed sitting on the floor before a traditional Saudi meal, eating with her hands.
“Now everything is here and the world has come to us,” marveled Abdullah Alghamdi, 29, who attended the weekend rave. “Honestly, there are a lot of events that you just don’t know where to go.”
Queer culture
The scenes at the music festival were the most extreme ever. Women showed off their style, wearing everything from long pants to long gowns and veils. Unfamiliar men stumble through crowds scented with the signature aroma of cannabis, coupled with a limited but noticeable display of local gay culture. Alcohol and homosexuality are still illegal in Saudi Arabia, but the event created a carnival-like atmosphere, opening the space to testing the limits.
Any critical voices are mostly silent. Under Crown Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia’s social openness has been accompanied by a crackdown on domestic dissent. Taking that fact home, officials closed every other large-scale event in Riyadh for “maintenance” for the duration of the festival, sparking ironic jokes about the government forcing people to attend.
But for Ibrahim Fahad, a 21-year-old tourism and hospitality student, the festival is a long-awaited dream.
“I can’t even express how I feel,” he said, posing for a photo as the bass reverberated in the background. “Before music opened up in Saudi Arabia, I used to travel to see artists like The Chainsmokers. Now I can stay at home, because they are here.”
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
