On September 23, 2017, Saudi Arabia celebrated a National Day like no other. Mohammed bin Salman had been elevated to crown prince only months earlier. The country was in a nationalist frenzy fed by the political campaign against and boycott of Qatar. The King Fahd International Stadium opened its door to families, including women and children for the very first time, to witness a commissioned operetta portraying the historic journey of the people of the Arabian Peninsula and its culmination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In Jeddah, Saudi and Gulf musicians entertained a large audience at Al Jawhara Stadium.
Still the real action was on Tahlia Street in central Riyadh, where the newly formed General Entertainment Authority oversaw what became an open rave. Raucous young men and women, newly released from enforced gender segregation by the religious police, celebrated in the streets to techno music and fireworks, as nationalist images were projected hundreds of feet tall on the Kingdom Tower. The sound of dance music on the streets of Riyadh, not to mention the co-mingled youth, was shocking to outside observers and Saudis alike. One account on social media decried the lack of modesty, writing “Patriotism is not like this … We rejoice, but don’t disobey God.”
Today, seven years on, Mohammed bin Salman’s reign has become more settled and predictable. The kingdom’s 94th National Day still catered to young people and families but presented more of an establishment feel, complete with military parades and fireworks. Official imagery and national songs extolled the extensive Saudi urban and industrial projects. If the earliest days of this most nationalist of eras promised festivities, now it’s time to get down to work.
The Evolution of Saudi National Days
Across the history of the kingdom, National Days have evolved, reflecting the changing nature of the state and its guiding ideology. National Days commemorate the unity of the kingdom, first proclaimed by the founder, King Abdulaziz al-Saud, on September 23, 1932. In those early days, however, rulers commemorated their Ascendance Day and celebrations were limited to speeches and oaths of allegiance to the ruler. Ironically, even those austere commemorations were initially met with protests, as Wahhabi clerics denounced them as idolatry and sacrilege. The uneasiness of Saudi religious authorities with nationalist commemoration persisted, becoming a pattern that limited national celebrations.
Royal succession was accompanied by a shift in Ascendance Days, with King Abdulaziz changing the date to that of his own enthronement on November 12. The first true National Day, then, was instituted in 1965 by King Faisal bin Abdulaziz, who declined to commemorate his coronation but instead proclaimed a National Day timed with the date of the kingdom’s unification. This was an act befitting the architect of Saudi modernization. Still National Days were only commemorated as modest government affairs. It was not until 2005 that the National Day was declared a public holiday and became a more popular event.
Under King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, nationalism became more significant as a unifying principle, marking a modest incursion on religious symbolism and creating space for cautious sociopolitical reforms. The National Day public holiday reflected this turn toward national identity and public inclusion. Yet, without tackling the question of religious authority or curbing the enforcement powers granted to religious police, national days lacked real organization or entertainment activities to center them. This meant cities became subject to road accidents and commotion in the streets by rowdy youth.
Under King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s reign, especially since the rise of Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince in 2017, entertainment and patriotism became twin pillars of the new era. National Day was elevated in importance and the General Entertainment Authority empowered to organize National Day events. This culminated in 2019 when the 89th National Day was given its own season: a week of festivities incorporating more than 17 government agencies conducting over 180 events, including concerts, youth forums, patriotic gatherings, and firework displays. This previewed the launch of the inaugural Riyadh Season a month later, with a full calendar of entertainment, cultural programs, and commercial pop-ups in dedicated areas across the city. The programming extended for several months serving to announce the kingdom as a new tourism and entertainment destination.
National Day 94 and Vision 2030
The coronavirus pandemic abridged, though did not stop, the celebration of National Days. While still under the direction of the General Entertainment Authority, post-pandemic festivities have become more modest and the National Day messaging more targeted to economic ambitions. Over the past two years, the motto for the National Day has been “We Dream and We Achieve,” with imagery celebrating Vision 2030 development. A man and a woman – symbolizing Saudi youth – stand surrounded by futuristic icons of Saudi economic and cultural infrastructure: the Diriyah Gate, the Al Subaibah Solar Power Plant, Al-Ula, the Astronaut Program, Riyadh’s Mukaab or Cube, electric cars, and The Line.
According to the General Entertainment Authority, the slogan “draws the land of the kingdom that embraces the dream with determination and persistence that makes it a firm reality anchored like mountains.”
While entertainment wasn’t eliminated, security and development were emphasized in this year’s National Day. In Diriyah, the main event was a military parade promoted by the Ministry of Interior, which characterized the heritage capital and origin of the first Saudi state as “a journey of security and a history of the homeland.” General Security forces took center stage at night, performing a marching exercise as flashing images of tanks and police vehicles drifted across the stage. The interior heartland of Qassim held patriotic parades with military and police vehicles and more than 30 government agencies. Meanwhile, people crowded the corniche in Jeddah and amassed for fireworks at the waterfront of Al Khobar.
The more modest celebrations may reflect the somber mood of the region. In the week after National Day celebrations, Israeli forces pounded Gaza and Lebanon, and Iran fired missiles at Israel, marking a stark contrast with the themes of security and development on display in Riyadh. Or they could reflect the relative austerity as Saudi Arabia trims expenses to focus on the essentials of economic diversification. For Saudi citizens celebrating national unity, entertainment-inflected festivities have become normalized, and the more difficult work of building the new national infrastructure and work culture has gotten serious, especially as the risks mount all around them.