Riyadh: More than 1,000 contestants will join the grand camel race, which is the highlight of the 25th Saudi National Heritage and Culture Festival or Janadriya Festival.
The festival will kick off in Janadriya, a village north of Riyadh, on Wednesday.
King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz will open the festival, in which several dignitaries and celebrities are expected to attend.
Cultural programmes will be held in Makkah, Jeddah and Dhahran as part of the festival. These programmes will focus on cultural dialogue and peaceful coexistence between nations.
A grand camel race is the major highlight of this year's opening day ceremony.
Cash prizes totalling 1 million Saudi riyals will be distributed among winners. The opening ceremony will also include an operetta called "The Unity of Nations".
Well-known singers Mohammad Abdu, Abdul Majeed Abdullah, Rashid Al Majed, Abbas Ebrahim Majed Al Muhandes and child artist Khalid Al Jehan will take part in a musical programme.
The songs are composed by Majid Al Muhandes and Nasser Al Saleh. Saudi poet Abdullah Bin Drees will be honoured as personality of the year.
Honour for France
France will be honoured at this year's Janadriya Festival, said Prince Miteb Bin Abdullah, deputy commander of the National Guard for executive affairs.
The French entourage will hold a cultural and technological show at the event. France's Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand, who heads the guest delegation, will deliver a speech at the opening ceremony, said Bertrand Besancenot, the French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
"The entourage will perform military heritage music and a parade honouring King Abdullah. The French guests include well-known singer Sofia, who performs in both French and Arabic, a famous French chef, cartoonists, and musicians. A space of 2,000 square meters has been allocated at the festival for the French entourage, where documentaries on French tourism, the high-speed French train, and exotic French vehicles will be displayed," the ambassador said/
He added that the French participants will also put on a fashion show of 22 traditional French dresses. The festival's Women's Cultural Activity Committee will honor 43 exceptional women this year. Princess Nouf Bint Abdul Aziz will attend the women's event slated for next Saturday.
