Music, art, culture and wellness festivals will take place in AlUla for a 12-month period beginning in September.
The desert city – home to some of Saudi Arabia's most ancient sites – will host these events as part of AlUla Moments, an annual initiative promoting the location as one of the region’s cultural and tourism hotspots.
Unveiled at Dubai’s Theatre of Digital Arts on Thursday, the programme includes the return of the electronic music festival Azimuth and the Ancient Kingdoms Festival, which celebrates the city's rich archaeological history.
“AlUla is quickly reasserting itself as the vibrant hub for creative and immersive encounters that it was thousands of years ago,” says Rami Almoallim, vice president of destination management at The Royal Commission for Al Ula.
Here are the main highlights of Al Ula Moments, with more to be announced later in the year.
1. Azimuth Festival: September 21 and 22
After establishing itself as a popular boutique electronic music festival in 2020, this year's festival expands to include live band performances.
Headliners include Grammy Award-winning Mali band Tinariwen and British RnB singer Jorja Smith.
DJs on the bill include Australia's Chet Faker and Thievery Corporation from the US.
2. AlUla Wellness Festival: October 19 to November 4
An event bringing leading yoga trainers and meditation experts for a series of mindful sessions.
A highlight is The Sanctuary Five, an area featuring various therapy treatments and talks on the latest trends in health and wellness.
Also on the programme are hiking trips and eco-gardening demonstrations.
3. Ancient Kingdoms Festival: November 17 to December 2
Held in Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first Unesco World Heritage Site, the festival celebrates the archaeological wonders of the area with cultural performances and heritage tours.
4. Winter at Tantora: December 21 to January 27
One of the first events to herald AlUla’s arrival as a new cultural destination, Winter at Tantora returns with four weekends encompassing an array of fashion, arts and heritage events.
The full programme will be revealed later in the year.
5. Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo: January 17 to January 20
The lavish affair invites the world’s leading polo teams for a series of matches held against the backdrop of AlUla’s majestic mountains and oasis.
Participating sides include France’s St Tropez and Argentina’s La Dolfina.
6. AlUla Arts Festival: February 8 to March 2
Expect an expanded programme when this festival returns.
In addition to contemporary art installations and exhibitions, there will be art residencies, film screenings and workshops on traditional crafts including palm weaving, pottery and jewellery.
7. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup: February 2024
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, was one of the participants in this gruelling horse race in 2020.
The race entails riders completing multiple laps of the 120km track through desert dunes and mountain peaks for the chance to win a share of a cash prize, which was reportedly $4.2 million last year.
Dates will be announced closer to the event.
8. AlUla Skies Festival: April 10 to April 20
Back for its third year, the festival will feature scores of colourful hot air balloons taking flight above the Arabian Desert.
Some of the experiences on offer are daily sunrise and sunset balloon and helicopter tours offering 360-degree vistas of AlUla’s ancient landmarks and mountains.
9. AlUla Camel Cup: April 2024
Actor Will Smith was the star guest at the inaugural AlUla Camel Cup in March.
The event brings together some of the kingdom's leading racing teams for a series of competitions focusing on endurance, strength and speed.
Held under the patronage of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, this year's competition had a prize pool of 80 million Saudi riyals ($21.3 million).
10. Desert Blaze: June 2024
AlUla Moments ends with one of the world's most challenging endurance races.
Taking place in the hottest month of the year, international athletes will compete in a series of races with distances ranging from 5km to 10km and half marathon (21km) and a 42km marathon.
Last year's cash prizes totalled 110,000 Saudi riyals ($30,000) and was shared among those placing first to third in the full and half marathons and the 10km races.
Information on tickets, locations and accommodation options are available at www.experiencealula.com
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
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RESULTS
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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CREW
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Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
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Rating: 4/5