Ithra’s 2020 Calendar Marks a New Year Filled with Cultural Offerings
- The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) prepares for a jam-packed new year of events and programs.
- Ithra aims to serve its five key pillars throughout the year: culture, creativity, art, knowledge, and community.
- Hussien Hanbazaza, Ithra’s Director, comments on Ithra’s energized strategy for the year.
DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA, FEBRUARY 16, 2020 – As 2020 kicks off, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) makes headway with both new and recurring programs and events. As Saudi Arabia diversifies its economy under Vision 2030, Ithra has reinforced its offerings with five key pillars: creativity, culture, , knowledge ,art and community. The plethora of opportunities at Ithra is designed to inspire, enhance, and interconnect the public across all ages and interests, from children to adults.
The start of the year saw the inauguration of the Ithra Content Commissioning Program, an opportunity for local creatives, freelancers and small businesses to develop innovative new content, as well as the first edition of the Ithra Cultural Days festival that celebrated Vietnamese culture. Vietnam Cultural Days was a huge success; with over 45,000 visitors engaged in the festivities and experienced authentic Vietnamese foods, art, activities, performances, and more.
From March onwards, Ithra’sschedule features captivating programs, events, and activities, such as PiCon and the Dialogue in the Dark exhibition — programs that combine entertainment and education. It is Ithra’s position that these programs work together to awaken the desire to learn, evoke fresh mindsets, and spark creativity. An anchor event for the Kingdom’s burgeoning film industry, the Saudi Film Festival celebrates its 6th edition in partnership with Ithra. The festival encourages emerging artists to hone their skills and create original film productions.
The year 2020 will culminate with Ithra’s flagship creativity season Tanween, in its third edition, and will feature a new annual theme and a new lineup of workshops, offerings and international guests.
Commenting on Ithra’s 2020 calendar, Ithra’s Director, Hussien Hanbazaza, said: “The start of this decade is particularly exciting for Ithra as we gear up todeliver a great slate of new programs and events in 2020 for our audiences. We are pleased to bring back favorites like our annual Tanween festival, in addition to new enriching programming as well as our other popular seasonal events. The Ithra team is vigorously working to deliver the best possible offerings consisting of cutting-edge theater, insightful exhibitions, culturally significant events, and plenty of creative activities. Impact has consistently been at the forefront of everything we deliver at Ithra, as we continue on our dedication to broaden horizons, share knowledge, and nurture potential.”
Ithra is Saudi Aramco’s flagship corporate citizenship initiative and the largest cultural contribution to the Kingdom and its people. Since opening its doors, Ithra has welcomed over one million visitors and serves as a creative and interactive public space for workshops, performances, events, exhibitions and provider of new global experiences.
For the latest updates of Ithra’s upcoming initatives, events and programs in 2020, visitors can follow the Center’s new account @VisitIthra on Twitter, which aims to connect audiences with the Center directly and to provide a detailed and unique roundup of Ithra activities.
