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Soundstorm fest attracts massive crowds

Held in Saudi Arabia from 16-19 December, the MDLBeast-promoted event hosted over 200 acts such as David Guetta and Martin Garrix

By James Hanley on 21 Dec 2021

Soundstorm 2021


image © Getty

Saudi Arabia’s Soundstorm festival pulled in huge crowds from around the world, according to promoter MDLBeast.

Held in Riyadh from 16-19 December, the four-day event hosted more than 200 acts, including international stars such as David Guetta, Jeff Mills, Major Lazer Soundsystem, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki, Armin Van Buuren and Carl Cox. Ticket prices started at 339 SAR (€80).

Organisers say daily attendance averaged 183,000, while the Saudi Gazette reports the festival attracted 200,000 fans for its second day alone.

It has been a success on every level

“It exceeded the expectations of everyone, including us as organisers,” says MDLBeast CEO, Ramadan Alharatani. “It has been a success on every level, having attracted a huge number of music lovers and provided them with a safe space to enjoy the highest standards of music entertainment. We are very proud.”

Soundstorm featured four main areas including the main stage Big Beast, reputedly the world’s tallest and largest stage.

First staged in 2019, this year’s edition came on the heels of MDLBeast’s inaugural XP Music Conference.

Speaking at XP, Saudi Arabia’s assistant minister for tourism, Princess Haifa bint Mohammed Al Saud, said the number of concerts held in the kingdom each year is set to rise by up to 600% on pre-pandemic levels.

Global superstars including Justin Bieber, Jason Derulo, A$AP Rocky and David Guetta performed in Jeddah for the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix post-race concerts earlier this month, while a series of events are also taking place as part of Riyadh Season, which runs from October to March.

 


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