Janadriyah festival schedule

Janadriyah Festival
Sun 12 Feb, 2012 - Wed 22 Feb, 2012
03:00 pm
janadria@sang.gov.sa
www.janadria.org.sa

Hi,
You can contact [moderated] they are very professional. They arrange visits for such festivals.

Have fun in this beautiful weather 

Hi there the above ^^schedule is incorrect!
Family days start 13 th run through 24th, and it starts 4 pm!

Check out the complete schedule here: Janadriyah 2012

thank you to all for useful reponses, esp Blue Abaya for taking me to her delightful blogsite! Hope to read a lot more on your site.

Maram Hamidaddin wrote:

Hi,
You can contact ****** ******** ******** they are very professional. They arrange visits for such festivals.

And why would anybody want to PAY them when we can just drive or take a taxi?  The 'visit' is just walking around looking at the exhibit and admittance is free.  So again I ask, WHY would anybody want to pay these people you are advertising?

Dear Allicat,
Why you take it this way? Why you are sad?!!!!
People are different. Some love to be treated in special way. So this is like Haya Tours & Masawif!!!!!
and more others out there. At the end the choice is up to people... Nothing more nothing less!!!

I am acting this way because you are breaking the rules of the forum! 

Think about it.  If people were allowed to advertise here, this forum would be nothing but SPAM.  I think I speak for the others as well as myself when I say I am sick to death of being spammed.


So if you want to advertise for this company, that's fine but please follow the rules by putting the ad where it belongs:  in the classified section!!

Thanks

Maram Hamidaddin > advertisement in not allowed on the forum

Hmmm..I would have to disagree on the need to pay to get to and around Janadriya.
Alliecat, you're absolutely right, anyone can go walk around and see the place for free.
But if you don't know the area (which is HUGE) and don't speak arabic, you are in fact getting about 10% out of the festival. IMHO at least go with an arabic speaking person to read you the signs, the info, the history..everything is only in Arabic! How will you even know which area you're in??

I've been to this festival four years in a row, and each year go several times. I have yet to see everything it has to offer. Mind you the first three years I went like Alliecat mentioned, with girlfriends, took taxi, walked around.Was fun and interesting sure!
BUT when I went with my Saudi husband for the first time who was able to read all the signs to me, discuss with the people, and basically explain to me everything, I was like WOW. I had no idea, and my friends that joined were so grateful for him acting as "tourguide". This year they are lined up to join us because they know how much more they can enjoy and understand the Saudi culture by having a guide.
So paying for someone to take is would IMHO be a very good idea. Why not?
How will you know where the best food stalls are, and even what you're eating, what the food is called, even just for that I would take a guide

Silly to say just go and randomly wander around is better

I would even make a comparison to saying, why hire a safari guide? You can just go walk around in the savanna and look at the animals  ;p

I was fortunate to have an English speaking cab driver, who was more than gracious enough to go with us into the festival grounds. He was able to explain the different displays, regional costumes and many other things to us.

It's heaps useful to have someone who reads and speaks Arabic for sure!

ok...cool
any saudi willing to take us around?
yalla volunteer someone

So after tomorrow western men cannot go alone? If that's the case if there is any lady (who is seriously) interested in photography who would like to go with me so I can get in please ping me a message. Iknow it's not strictly allowed but I'd really like to go and take my camera gear if that's possible. Thanks.

Do they allow photography in Janadriyah Festival?

I took many photos at the festival and nobody stopped me. Many people using their phones to take videos and photos as well.

Laylah wrote:

Silly to say just go and randomly wander around is better

I would even make a comparison to saying, why hire a safari guide? You can just go walk around in the savanna and look at the animals  ;p

Not silly--rather, it depends on what kind of person you are.  Some people go traveling and take tour buses around a city.  I myself prefer to get around on my own and have an adventure!

The times I've had a guide--in Luxor, for example--it lasted all of ten minutes because with all the talking he wanted to do about what HE had studied, I never would have been able to see and experience what *I* wanted to see.  So I told him I'd meet him in 3 hours and left on my own!  In other words, I'm a very 'hands-on' type and don't just want to stand and listen to somebody talking.

And, FYI, it was easy to get the sense of all the exhibits without knowing Arabic and also very easy to find places to eat-- mostly there were stands around selling street food.

So I think the answer to this--to have a guide or to do it yourself--lies in the individual, one's style of learning and how dependent (or independent) one is.

I like adventures too and usually wouldn't opt for a tour guide, hate guided tours..But this is different!
What I'm trying to say is make the best of it!
It has nothing to do with if you're independent or dependent..

Like I said, give it a go once with Arabic speaking person (best Saudi) and only then you will know the difference I know exactly what you mean that you can get a "sense" of things, sure you can! but I'm trying to encourage ppl to get to know the Saudi culture better and you really can't understand the exhibitions, shows and displays without arabic skills so..

And btw I was there three years without arab speaker and only when I went with my hubby found out what all the stuff I was eating was called and he pointed out the best stuff, before I just randomly sampled stuff. Which is of course fun as well!

But to each his own

Laylah wrote:

I like adventures too and usually wouldn't opt for a tour guide, hate guided tours..But this is different!

I don't see how it is.  A guided tour is a guided tour.  And your earlier comment about going on safari without a tour guide?  Yes, I'd probably do that, too

Laylah wrote:

But to each his own

Exactly.  I don't want people to think they have to have a guide.  They can have a wonderful time, see and understand a lot, without one.  In fact, as I recall, many of the people manning the exhibits spoke English and were delighted to explain (the folks at the Qassim exhibit were especially informative).

The main thing is, to everybody, please don't  miss this once-a-year event!

point taken...each to his/ her own.

imraan007 wrote:

point taken...each to his/ her own.

amen, brotha !

Starting from today for Families and Females.. this is until next Friday daily from 4PM-12AM

I went yesterday, it was fun, so organized, parking available everywhere and enough. I think it's better to go through the southern gate because it's easier, you take the exit right before the bridge.

I visted Jazan village distingusished by flowers and dances. Hail village also has their dance and they have a beautiful tent where but falcons and they let you cary a falcon and have a picture with it for SR 10. Gasseem Village is one of the best with big open place and high towers and traditional shops, they have camels that anyone could try for a short round and they charge SR 10. They have nice dances. I bought an old antique for my mom it's called gennara (three peices of wooden rods crossed and tightened from the top and spreaded in the bottom with a rob dangling with a hock to carry the milk container where women in the past used to set and shake it). I looked for kherj which is the pockets they put on the humb of them camel but I couldn't find.
Madinah village is wonderful with professional dances and food, it needs to be made bigger because it's so crouded. They have a very big screen to show the operate.

I encourage all to go and don't miss it, in my opinion it's one of the best festivals in the world.

Regards,

I went again to Janadrya, I really love it. I went to the traditional market and I've seen many hand craftsmen doing different things. Some are jewellery some preparing books, some carpenters, sheet metal fabrication, etc. I liked an old man whom I had a chat with. He is from Eastern province specifically from Dammam. He is an wood engraver and I asked him if he is the one who draws pictures on the wood then ingrave them hes said yes and sometimes my daughter. the book preparer told me that he has different books in the library about history mainly one of them about writing history for 3000 years.
Then I went to Korea section , Makkah, Aseer, Taif, Baha. MAkkah food was the best.

I think they should provide all hasawis from Hasa with a special prize because they all craftsmen from them.