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Monday, March 14, 2016

Yanbu Flower Festival 2016

The 10th Annual Yanbu Flowers and Gardens Festival is in full swing and is scheduled to end next weekend, unless it is extended as it has been in years past. 
The entrance reminds me of Universal Studios or Epcot Center, with a big globe of flowers with 
"Flower Festival" written around it.
A couple of years ago in 2014, the festival established a new record for the world's largest flower carpet in the world, using millions of colorful blossoms in the process to achieve it. 
Yanbu is just a three hour drive north from Jeddah, so it's easy to make a weekend trip out of it.  
Some visitors manage to do it in one day up and back. 
The festival attracts thousands of visitors every year.  It is well planned and well executed.  
There are sections for food, souvenirs, a recycling exhibit, a mosque, and a play area for children.  
The carpet of flowers area is simply amazing to behold.  
It's hard to believe something like this exists in the desert of Saudi Arabia.  
The above photo shows a display in the recycling exhibit.  Grade-school children participated in making creative recycled art or repurposed useful items.  There is also beautiful recycled garden art and other things like planters and furniture. 
Souvenirs from Holland are available for sale, including live plantings or grow your own gardens.  
One can climb stairways up to several small rolling hills that are covered in flowers and topped with beautiful gazebos.
 The floral display are creative and include hanging plants and water fountains. 
The event can be enjoyed by all - men, women, and children.  
Kudos to the municipality of Yanbu for a job well done, and specifically to the Royal Commission for Yanbu at the Events Garden in Yanbu Industrial City.
Can you believe that this event is free to the public?
Yanbu itself is a wonderful city along the Red Sea and worth visiting. 



23 comments:

  1. What a spectacular sight. It is hard to believe all these flowers surrounded by desert. Must take a lot of water. So glad you got to attend.

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  2. Absolutely stunning. Thanks for showing this part of SA.

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  3. very nice. Upto what date it is open and what is timing. Is it open on Friday and Saturday.

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    1. It is open in the mornings, I believe from about 9am-noon, and then again in the afternoons, it reopens between 4-5pm and stays open until it closes later in the evenings. As far as I understand, it will end after this weekend. I hope you can go - it's definitely worth going.

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    2. Hello Susie,
      My wife really would like to go even the event is finished. Can we come and will be allowed to see the area even the event is finished?
      We are coming from Jeddah and i believed take approx 3 hours drive. We are first timer to see the place.
      Thank you for an advise

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    3. Thank you Suie for your reply. i am just worried if i could take a chance of going there tomorrow morning Friday. And suddenly will not allow us to viit and explore the erea. anyhow, thank you once again.
      Jojo Ranoco

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  4. Have attended when I used to live in Yanbu - it is quite the event! Thanks for sharing such beautiful pictures.

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  5. Wow! That is just so awesome! And it's such a huge area.

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  6. Awesome!!! I hope it will be extended up to march 31. I want to go there.

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  7. Awesome!!! I want to go there... Please please please extend it up to march 31. I want to visit the place!!!

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  8. Has it been extended. I have missed the Friday 18th. Can we still go on 25th?
    It will be great

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    1. Sorry, Abdulaz - but there has been nothing written at all about this event in English this year, so I have no idea. You might Google for info in Arabic if you speak Arabic.

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  9. Spectacular displays! What a pity we didn't know about this when we were in Jeddah last week. Perhaps we could have visited. My home city in New Zealand is Christchurch, which is also known as the garden city, so all your beautiful photos make me feel just a little homesick!

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  10. What is 2017 schedule of yanbu flower festival ?

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  11. The festival is on till 14 April and the timings are as Susie had mentioned.

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  12. The festival is on till 14 April and the timings are as Susie had mentioned.

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  13. I have seen some where the flower show is till 7th April 2017. Whether the period is extended now? If so, it's fantastic. Could you please confirm on this? Thank you.

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  14. I heard this festival is till 7th April 2017. Whether the period is extended to till 14th April 2017? Could you please confirm on this? Thank you.

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