Saudi Arabia pushed aside its old boundaries and embraced the change in Kingdom its full colour as the electronic music festival in Saudi Arabia this weekend saw men and women in ripped skinny jeans and combat boots dancing to the Western tune.
The party in the Saudi desert looked like any other rave until the music stopped for the Islamic call to prayer, leaving attendees in ripped skinny jeans and combat boots to stand in silence.
Fifteen minutes later — thousands of party-goers got back to business. Men and women danced with abandon in a country where that would have been unthinkable five years ago.
This event is the highlight of reign of controversial crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman who has made sweeping changes through the previously conservative kingdom.
In just a few years, the prince has lifted a ban on women driving, loosened gender segregation and defanged the religious police, who used to roam the streets punishing restaurants that played music.
In contrast, the four-day festival called MDL Beast Soundstorm was endorsed by the government and included performances by global DJs like Tiësto and Armin van Buuren. Organizers say more than 180,000 people attended the opening night, pushing boundaries as the kingdom transforms.
“Allow us progress, allow us to represent ourselves in the way that we feel fit,” said Prince Fahad Al Saud, a royal family member and entrepreneur who attended in a psychedelic-patterned jacket and sparkling eyeliner. “We are very eager to be part of the international community, but we can’t be stifled every time we try to make progress because it doesn’t look like what you want to see.”
The scenes at the music festival were the most extreme of any yet. Women flaunted their style, wearing everything from skintight pants to full-length robes and face veils.
Inebriated men stumbled through crowds perfumed with the distinct scent of marijuana, alongside a limited but notable display of local queer culture. Alcohol and homosexuality are still illegal in Saudi Arabia, but the event created a carnival-like atmosphere, opening the space to test limits.
Notably Saudi Arabia recently banned the Sunni Islamic movement the Tablighi Jamaat, labelling them as “gates of terrorism.”