King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Festival to Kick Off in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Qurayyat

The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority logo
The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority logo
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King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Festival to Kick Off in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Qurayyat

The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority logo
The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority logo

The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Festival, organized by the Reserve Development Authority, will take place from April 14 to 18 at the Cultural Center in Al-Qurayyat Governorate.

The festival aims to showcase tourist and recreational sites within the reserve and encourage local community involvement in reserve activities.

The festival offers a variety of events that will take visitors on a fun journey through recreational, cultural, artistic, and awareness activities. These include a children's area with games and drawing, an afforestation and planting area to promote afforestation culture and vegetation development, an artisan's market that celebrates Saudi heritage and traditional crafts, a wildlife area, and a performing arts theater.

The theater will present cultural shows and segments highlighting heritage, history, poetry evenings, theatrical performances, and folk arts.

The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve is the largest wildlife reserve in the Middle East, spanning over 130,000 square kilometers. It has archaeological sites registered with the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).



Venice Carnival Opens with Biodegradable Streamers and Ode to Casanova

 Revelers participate in the celebrations of the historic Venetian Carnival in front of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)
Revelers participate in the celebrations of the historic Venetian Carnival in front of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)
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Venice Carnival Opens with Biodegradable Streamers and Ode to Casanova

 Revelers participate in the celebrations of the historic Venetian Carnival in front of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)
Revelers participate in the celebrations of the historic Venetian Carnival in front of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (AP)

The opening weekend of Carnival in Venice culminated with a water procession along the Grand Canal that finished in front of the Rialto Bridge with a flourish of colorful streamers and confetti — all completely biodegradable.

Venice’s Carnival brings thousands of people to the lagoon city to watch the water procession, one of the event’s highlights, and check out people in elaborate costumes and masks who wander the narrow alleys and gather in Piazza St. Marco to be photographed.

The popular event forces authorities to designate some alleyways as one-way, to keep pedestrians moving.

This year’s Carnival celebrations, which run through March 4, are dedicated to the famed philanderer Giacomo Casanova, who was born in Venice 300 years ago.