Cirque performs on Saudi National Day amid Canada row

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Canada's renowned Cirque du Soleil on Sunday night performed for the first time in Saudi Arabia as the kingdom hosted a dazzling show, with many new records being set, to mark its 88th National Day despite an ongoing diplomatic spat between Ottawa and Riyadh.

The Canadian acrobatic troupe staged a spectacular performance at Riyadh's King Fahd International Stadium, a little over a month after Saudi Arabia expelled Canada's ambassador and froze all new trade following Ottawa's forceful demands for release of activists jailed in the Gulf kingdom.

“With a cast and crew of over 300, this is one of the biggest shows we've ever done,” said Daniel Fortin, vice president of creation at the Cirque du Soleil.

"The story is centered around the Sun and takes place from sunset to sunrise,” Fortin said. “Everything from the costumes to the stage props was created as an homage to Saudi culture. You'll see a lot of Bedouin influences in the staging and in the music. We drew inspiration from a variety of sources, such as traditional Bedouin tents, desert scenery, even the stadium itself.”

All skyscrapers along King Fahd Road in Riyadh were lit up in green two days ahead of the Kingdom's 88th National Day. /Photo via CIC, Saudi Arabia

The show was first announced in April in Los Angeles during the Saudi Cown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's multi-city visit to the US, but the subsequent diplomatic spat between Saudi Arabia and Canada in August had cast doubts over Cirque du Soleil's participation.

Canada has refused to budge in the dispute even as the two countries are reportedly engaged in high-level negotiations to resolve the issue.

A furious Riyadh ordered Saudi students to pull out from Canadian universities, though more than 1,000 medical students have been granted an extension in a partial rollback, according to an AFP report.

'One for the record books'

Saudi citizens, many waving green-and-white national flags, took to the streets on Sunday in joyous celebration of National Day across the kingdom. /Photos via CIC, Saudi Arabia

Meanwhile, iconic buildings in Riyadh were bathed in green light and Saudi citizens, many waving green-and-white national flags, took to the streets on Sunday in joyous celebration of National Day across the kingdom. September 23 marks the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by King Abdulaziz Al Saud.

This year's celebrations saw Saudi Arabia achieving several record-breaking feats including the 'largest fireworks on display', 'largest pyrotechnic image' using 300 drones, and also the 'largest camel sporting event' and many more.

"Saudi Arabia's 88th National Day was one for the record books as the kingdom celebrated a flurry of recent reforms that have put it on the cusp of an exciting and fulfilling future. Following on last year's celebration, this year's National Day drew Saudis to public celebrations in the streets and at entertainment venues. Events held across the kingdom on Sunday swept up Saudis in a wave of pride and patriotism," the Saudi Ministry of Information said in a statement.

Some 990,000 fireworks lit up the skies across 20 cities, including capital Riyadh, in a spectacle that broke the Guinness World Record set by the Philippines during the 2016 New Year celebrations, when 810,000 fireworks were launched.

One of the more unusual displays was the painting of the largest national flag in the sky using 300 drones, which won a Guinness World Records certificate for the ‘largest pyrotechnic image'.

The flag, which is 400 meters long and 350 meters wide, displayed the sword and the Declaration of Faith as fireworks illuminated the background in green. The drones show was organised in collaboration with the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming.

A combination of photos show (left) camels racing during the Crown Prince Camel Festival; and (right) the certificate for world's 'largest camel sporting event' being received by officials from the Saudi Arabian Camel Federation from the representative of Guinness World Records. /Photo via CIC, Saudi Arabia

Earlier, in the run up to the national day celebrations, Saudi Arabia also hosted the world's largest camel sporting event. The Crown Prince Camel Festival was held from August 11 to September 22 and saw 11,186 camels participating in 787 rounds of competition setting a new Guinness World Records.

"The festival's key aims is to showcase and boost the camel racing heritage of the kingdom and the Gulf Arab countries," a statement from the Ministry of Information said.

"The festival unfolded in four phases, with key races taking place on weekends. There were warm-up rounds, racing rounds, marathon rounds, production rounds and closing-in rounds. Also featured were sports, cultural and entertainment activities alongside educational workshops for camel owners and visitors interested in camel sports," it elaborated.

The event's closing ceremony saw a total of 53 million Saudi riyals (14.13 million US dollars) awarded in the various events.

(Cover: Members of the Canadian acrobatic troupe Cirque du Soleil perform a show as a part of celebrations of the 88th Saudi National Day at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on Sept. 23, 2018. /VCG Photo)

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