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Jeddah Season 2025 Launches Summer Entertainment Program

The program combines entertainment, culture, and tourism across several main destinations that include the city’s most iconic landmarks and key facilities - SPA
The program combines entertainment, culture, and tourism across several main destinations that include the city’s most iconic landmarks and key facilities - SPA
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Jeddah Season 2025 Launches Summer Entertainment Program

The program combines entertainment, culture, and tourism across several main destinations that include the city’s most iconic landmarks and key facilities - SPA
The program combines entertainment, culture, and tourism across several main destinations that include the city’s most iconic landmarks and key facilities - SPA

The integrated summer program of Jeddah Season 2025 officially launched under the theme “Jeddah is Different.”

The program combines entertainment, culture, and tourism across several main destinations that include the city’s most iconic landmarks and key facilities.

This launch aligns with the Kingdom’s efforts to realize the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 by diversifying entertainment offerings and enhancing the quality of life for citizens, residents, and visitors alike, SPA reported.

At Jeddah Waterfront’s “Jeddah Promenade,” the opening night featured dazzling drone shows, roaming performances, and interactive entertainment characters, offering families and visitors a visually engaging experience. Meanwhile, the “Western Coast” event kicked off in the Obhur area, delivering a unique beach experience that runs until October 4.

The event offers a variety of safe, family-friendly activities including a ladies-only beach, water sports, and live artistic performances, creating a complete coastal entertainment experience catering to all age groups.

In parallel, the “Jeddah Shopping Festival,” which runs through August 31, is transforming the city into a vibrant commercial destination. It features hotel and transportation discounts, live shows, weekly giveaways, and promotional activities across major shopping centers.

Jeddah Season reflects a commitment to offering a comprehensive tourism experience that supports the goals of Vision 2030. It contributes to diversifying entertainment options, stimulating investment, enhancing Jeddah’s global standing as a premier tourism destination, and driving economic, cultural, and tourism growth.

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The Sunhat is Everywhere in Athens as Crowds Grow Larger at Ancient Sites

Tourists wearing hats take photographs on the rocky Areios Pagos Hill next to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Tourists wearing hats take photographs on the rocky Areios Pagos Hill next to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
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The Sunhat is Everywhere in Athens as Crowds Grow Larger at Ancient Sites

Tourists wearing hats take photographs on the rocky Areios Pagos Hill next to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Tourists wearing hats take photographs on the rocky Areios Pagos Hill next to the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Outside the Acropolis, a sea of hats bobs up and down the hill to the ancient site: straw boaters, Panama hats, baseball caps and bucket hats in the relentless heat.

Hat racks are hard to miss in central Athens this summer. Kiosks and stores keep outdoor stands piled high as more tourists seek relief from the midday heat.

The Acropolis drew about 4.6 million visitors in 2025, a record year for Greek tourism. Many spend hours in mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit) temperatures with little shade. Even a carriage horse at the foot of the ancient monument has joined in, sporting a brown bucket hat with holes cut for its ears.

“You need a hat. I’m already red as it is,” said Jack Yosif, an Australian tourist wearing a black baseball cap. “It’s a bit more of a common thing nowadays, and people are a bit more aware.”

Scorching temperatures didn't deter a record 38 million visitors last year, the most recent for which there is data. The combination of extreme heat and high demand for sites — which means not everyone can visit in the morning — is adding urgency to sun protection.

Greek health campaigners have welcomed a growing awareness of the dangers of ultraviolet exposure and risk of heat stroke. Red Cross volunteers at the Acropolis hand out kits with sunscreen, water, information leaflets and red caps, The Associated Press reported.

Hats are displayed alongside materials using in their production on hangers and shelves at a shop in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

On nearby Syntagma Square, kiosk owner Konstantinos Mallios says hat sales have risen in recent years. His stylish and souvenir models run up to 20 euros ($24) while the cheapest costs 6 euros. Available elsewhere is semi-disposable headgear: mass-produced hats made using compressed paper pulp.

And there are more ostentatious options. At her basement workshop, hatmaker Lisa Sarigiannidou turns straw braids into boaters using century-old presses and molds in a matter of minutes. Her hats start at around 50 euros, with elaborate designs costing more than 100 euros.

“People’s attitudes toward hats have changed,” said Sarigiannidou, who was trained by her hatmaker father. “In the past, when a young woman tried on a hat and looked at herself in the mirror, she usually laughed. Now they try them on seriously ... and they wear them straight out the door.”

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King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Highlights Two Distinctive Native Shrubs

The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).
The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).
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King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Highlights Two Distinctive Native Shrubs

The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).
The King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve (SPA).

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve is distinguished by its unique natural plant diversity and its captivating natural features, highlighted by distinctive plants that add exceptional beauty to its various environments. Among the most prominent plant features found across most areas of the reserve are Al-Rmath (Haloxylon salicornicum) and Al-Qaisum (white wormwood).

Al-Rmath is a perennial shrub in the family Amaranthaceae and is widespread throughout most of the reserve.

According to SPA, it can reach a height of 120 centimeters and is characterized by bluish-green stems that turn gray with age, as well as scale-like leaves and tiny yellow flowers.

Al-Qaisum is also a perennial aromatic shrub belonging to the Asteraceae family. It grows in clay flats, valleys, ravines, and most areas of the reserve.

It can reach a height of 60 centimeters and is distinguished by its white stems, oval to oblong leaves with serrated edges, and small yellow flowers.

Varieties

Lebanon Arrests ‘Doctor Food’ over Drug-laced Treats

Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food." Photo: Social media
Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food." Photo: Social media
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Lebanon Arrests ‘Doctor Food’ over Drug-laced Treats

Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food." Photo: Social media
Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food." Photo: Social media

Lebanon on Sunday arrested an online influencer known for his videos about food who had been handed a life sentence in absentia for drug trafficking, a judicial source told AFP.

Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food" and followed by more than eight million accounts, was apprehended at his home in the far north governorate of Akkar, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Dib, who also owns a confectionery business, would be taken to a detention center in Mount Lebanon, where he would face a new trial on further drug trafficking charges, the source added.

Two years ago, the Lebanese judiciary issued a warrant for Dib, accusing him of "manufacturing narcotics, trafficking and smuggling them abroad,” according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The NNA said at the time that authorities had seized confectionery and other food products at Beirut's international airport that contained narcotics and were manufactured in factories owned by Dib.

The products were to be shipped to a Gulf country, the news agency reported.

Despite an arrest warrant and conviction against him, Dib continued to post videos on TikTok.

Last month, after news of his conviction was made public, he denied the accusations in one of his videos, urging followers not to listen to what was being said about him.

Dib rose to prominence on social media posting content about cooking and daily life with his ex-wife, known as Shorouk, a Canadian of Palestinian origin who has more than 15 million followers.

They separated after she accused him of abuse. On Saturday night, she held a "divorce party" at a seaside resort in Lebanon attended by thousands of her followers.