On September 23, the day that marked the 88th National Day of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom set out to break a world record by displaying the largest national flag in history with the help of hundreds of thousands of fireworks and a few hundred drones. The entire show was designed to create a 400-by-350-meter display of the country’s national flag, an image to break the Guinness World Record in forming the largest flag in the world.
In order to achieve this feat, Saudi Arabia set off more than 900,000 fireworks into the sky simultaneously from over 58 sites across the Kingdom. These fireworks created a green background of Saudi Arabia’s flag on which around 300 drones then created a laser image of the white horizontal sword and the Shahada (the Muslim profession of faith).
In addition to attempting a world record, a comprehensive National Day Calendar offering a number of diverse programs and events was launched by the General Entertainment Authority. For five days, Saudi Arabians enjoyed different events held in various regions of the Kingdom including cultural activities, sport events, heritage festivals, folklore and art shows, concerts, poetry readings, and film screenings.
According to Arab News, the Calendar’s main highlights included performances by Cirque du Soleil, which staged its very first show in Saudi Arabia, the National Entertainment Day Carnival in Riyadh, the "Sky of Dreams show in Jeddah, the Light Garden event in Dammam, aerobatics and pyrotechnics shows in Khobar, the From Us to the Nation event in Tabouk, and the release of hot-air balloons in Al-Ahsa.
