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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.

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Dazzling Ice Castles Draw Tourists to New Hampshire, Other States

Colorful lights shine inside inside the walls of ice at Ice Castles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in North Woodstock, N.H. (AP)
Colorful lights shine inside inside the walls of ice at Ice Castles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in North Woodstock, N.H. (AP)
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Dazzling Ice Castles Draw Tourists to New Hampshire, Other States

Colorful lights shine inside inside the walls of ice at Ice Castles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in North Woodstock, N.H. (AP)
Colorful lights shine inside inside the walls of ice at Ice Castles, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in North Woodstock, N.H. (AP)

An annual architectural celebration of ice is up and running again in New Hampshire and several other US states.

Ice Castles, which are both temporary art installations and tourist attractions, feature towers, tunnels, archways and caves, all created by growing, harvesting and arranging thousands of icicles and then blasting them with sprinklers.

The company behind the displays has expanded since its first installation in 2011. This year it has operations in Utah, Minnesota, two locations in Colorado and New Hampshire, where the site includes a snow tubing hill and ice bar. After a mild winter last year, officials were thrilled that temperatures were cold enough to open earlier this season.

"It's one of the biggest ice castles we've ever built," said Jared Henningsen, the company’s vice president for operations. "We're looking at about 25 million pounds of ice spread over two acres."

As a winter storm brought biting cold and wet snow to the South, visitors to the New Hampshire castle bundled up to explore its twists and turns Friday.

Julia Jones of Gloucester, Massachusetts, said she travels to northern New Hampshire several times a year but had not experienced the ice castles until her opening-day visit.

"I've never seen anything like this before," she said. "Honestly I didn't think it was gonna be this big."

Jessica Sullivan, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, also was surprised, and not just by the frozen environment. Her boyfriend, Brian Jacques, proposed to her during their visit.

"It's a beautiful place," said Jacques, who got the "yes" he was hoping for. "I definitely thought, this is the time and place to do it."

By day the walls and other structures shine with a pale blue hue. After darkness falls, lights embedded within the ice glow pink, purple and green.

"Once you enter into an ice castle, you're transitioning into something that's totally immersive and unlike something that most guests have ever seen," Henningsen said. "I think it inspires people."