Jeddah’s Old Town Comes Alive With Balad Beast
Two-Night Music Festival Brings Together Communities, Culture, Heritage, and Architecture
Committed to growing talent, building the regional scene, and advancing the creative economy, Saudi music entertainment company MDLBEAST ushered in a revival of the old with the new at a two-day music festival titled the ‘Balad Beast’.
Held in Jeddah on December 9-10, 2022 at what a UNESCO World Heritage site, the festival lit up the five traditional Al-Balad courtyards surrounded by tower houses built in the late 19th century and ancient architecture visible in the vicinity. Converging for the festival were some of the entertainment’s most popular names including the likes of international artists, Busta Rhymes, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Rick Ross, DJ Salvatore Ganacci as well as local and regional talents including R3HAB, Vinyl Mode, Tamtam, Dana Hourani, Ntitled, and Saudi’s first female DJ, Nouf Sufyani aka DJ Cosmicat. Leaving revellers at the festival’s Omdah Square spellbound was a 90-minute set by Italian music production and DJ duo, Tale of Us who brought the first night to a close amidst a hypnotizing light and projection show.
By the second day, there were more than 25,000 fans eager to witness live performances, where two underground stages paid host to house and techno lovers, another housed hip-hop heads, and a fourth rocked to the sounds of the indie kids. Jeddah homegrown artist Cosmicat captured the emotions of many residents when she said: “I’m very happy to be among the names participating in this festival. It feels great to perform here, many of my childhood memories are in this place. I used to come here all the time with my family. Despite the logistical difficulties of this unique historical place, everything in “Balad Beast” has been top-notch and at the highest level.”
Conceptualized as a music festival that would bring people together in a spirit of revival, bonding over culture, music, and heritage, Ramadan Alharatani, CEO at MDLBEAST was thrilled to recap the energy and vibe that emerged from the historical site. “When conceptualizing Balad Beast, it was imperative to all of us at MDLBEAST that the event enhanced the area’s standing as a cultural hub. Not only have we preserved the unique architecture, culture and heritage through sound and environmental testing, but provided an occasion weaving the old with the new and added another layer to the rich history of Al-Balad. We look forward immensely to adding yet another next year – so watch this space, Jeddah.”
For more information, visit mdlbeast.com
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