Tens of thousands of Saudis have flocked to an electronic music festival billed by organisers as the biggest in the ultra-conservative kingdom since it began easing decades-old restrictions on entertainment.
Dutch DJ Tiesto, South Africa’s Black Coffee and France’s David Guetta are among the top acts at the three-day MDL Beast festival, which began near Riyadh on Thursday.
“This is the biggest music festival in the region,” said DJ Cosmicat, one of a few female Saudi artists performing at the event.
“The whole country is going through a huge change,” she said in a statement released by the organisers.
Young Saudi revellers held their mobile phones aloft in front of one of the stages as lasers and spotlights lit the evening sky on Thursday.
Many of the women went without the hijab headscarf — not a legal requirement but widely worn in the conservative Muslim country.
The multi-stage festival attracted 130,000 fans on its first day, said organisers, calling it the “largest music, arts and culture festival Saudi Arabia has ever seen”.
Saudi Arabia has eased tight restrictions on various forms of entertainment as de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman seeks to shake off his country’s ultra-conservative image.
He has scrapped decades-old bans on cinemas and women drivers while allowing gender-mixed concerts and sports tournaments.
The relaxed social norms have been welcomed by many Saudis, two-thirds of whom are under 30.
