SEVEN Announces SAR1.1 Billion Entertainment Destination in Saudi Arabia's Yanbu

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)
Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)
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SEVEN Announces SAR1.1 Billion Entertainment Destination in Saudi Arabia's Yanbu

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)
Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN)

Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has been awarded AL BAWANI CO. LTD and UCC Saudi joint venture contract to build the new entertainment destination in Yanbu.

Construction is already underway in the historic port located on the Kingdom’s western coast on the Red Sea, a statement released by SEVEN said.

With an investment value of over SAR1.1 billion, SEVEN’s entertainment destination in Yanbu is located along the seafront promenade on Al Nawras Island. The entertainment destination will offer visitors a wide variety of experiences designed to engage all age groups from the local community and the surrounding areas.

According to the statement, the project is designed by Gensler, a global architecture, design and planning firm. The architecture of this entertainment destination is inspired by the city’s heritage. The design is a celebration of water, with elements of the beach and the sea threaded throughout.

“Our entertainment destination in Yanbu will provide residents and visitors with a wealth of new and exciting experiences while supporting the city’s rapidly developing entertainment sector. SEVEN’s entertainment destination is inspired by Yanbu’s beautiful natural seascape, embodying the city’s rich history as one of the oldest ports in the Kingdom,” said Chairman of SEVEN Abdullah AlDawood.

According to AL BAWANI CO. LTD. Chairman and Group CEO Fakher Al Shawaf, “SEVEN’s investment will help Yanbu’s growing population meet its entertainment needs. AL BAWANI is well-positioned to deliver this unique destination to meet the ever-growing aspirations of Saudis."

UCC Holding President Ramez Al-Khayyat said the company will "leverage our extensive experience in building entertainment destinations to deliver the project on time, to the highest international standards.”

SEVEN Yanbu will be home to a highly immersive carnival-themed family entertainment center with world class rides. Other attractions will include a Clip ‘n Climb facility providing 30 climbing challenges, a junior family entertainment center, a state-of-the-art 10-screen cinema, a futuristic 10-lane bowling experience, a fun-filled indoor golf course, and a wide variety of local and international retail and dining experiences, the statement said.

SEVEN is investing more than SAR50 billion to build 21 entertainment destinations to provide unique and innovative world-class entertainment experiences; it has secured global partnerships from the sector.

SEVEN has recently announced that it had begun construction at its entertainment destinations in Al Hamra districts of Riyadh and Tabuk. Its upcoming projects are located in 14 cities across the Kingdom: Riyadh, Kharj, Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Dammam, Khobar, Al Ahsa, Madinah, Yanbu, Abha, Jazan, Buraidah and Tabuk.



Heat Wave Leads to Warnings of Potentially Devastating Wildfires in Southern Australia

This undated handout image received on December 26, 2024 from the State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services shows officials on a road near a bushfire in the Grampians National Park in Australia's Victoria state. (Handout / S State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services / AFP)
This undated handout image received on December 26, 2024 from the State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services shows officials on a road near a bushfire in the Grampians National Park in Australia's Victoria state. (Handout / S State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services / AFP)
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Heat Wave Leads to Warnings of Potentially Devastating Wildfires in Southern Australia

This undated handout image received on December 26, 2024 from the State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services shows officials on a road near a bushfire in the Grampians National Park in Australia's Victoria state. (Handout / S State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services / AFP)
This undated handout image received on December 26, 2024 from the State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services shows officials on a road near a bushfire in the Grampians National Park in Australia's Victoria state. (Handout / S State Control Center of the Victoria Emergency Services / AFP)

Communities and firefighters across Australia’s second-most populous state were preparing Thursday for potentially devastating wildfires as a heat wave fanned by erratic winds presented the worst fire conditions in several years.

With temperatures in Victoria state reaching 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit) and with wind changes expected throughout the day, fire chiefs have issued stark warnings to rural communities to delay travel or leave their homes and seek safety at shelters.

Several fires are currently burning out of control across the state and Victoria deputy premier Ben Carroll said the possibility for further fires in the coming days was likely.

“Dangerous fire conditions are forming today and will go right through to Saturday,” he said at a press conference in Melbourne. “New fires can start anywhere and become dangerous very quickly.

The largest uncontained fire is located in the Grampians National Park and has burnt through 55,000 hectares so far, but no homes have been reported to have been lost.

However, Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent said there were many residential properties on the fringes of the fire that could come under threat.

“I wouldn’t be surprised at some point if we do have residential losses,” Nugent said. “Firefighters, I can say, are doing everything possible to protect life and protect property.”

An emergency warning was issued by fire authorities for the small town of Mafeking, 260 kilometers (160 miles) west of Melbourne, on Thursday.

Residents there were told "you are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. The safest option is to take shelter indoors immediately, as it is too late to leave.”

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported around 100 personnel from other Australian states are now in Victoria to assist local firefighters battling the blazes. Firefighters are being assisted by scores of water-bombing aircraft.

Parts of neighboring South Australia and New South Wales states are also on high alert due to the heat wave and elevated fire risks.

The hot, dry conditions are being compared to the Black Summer fires that gripped Australia's two most populous states for months in 2019-20 and burned through 104 thousand square kilometers, an area roughly the size of Ohio, and destroyed thousands of homes and killed 33 people.