A Saudi rave sparks debate over kingdom’s cultural transformation

wsj

4 min read . Updated: 01 Jan 2023, 09:10 PM IST DONNA ABDULAZIZ, The Wall Street Journal

A vendor waits for customers outside a store in the Al-Balad historic district of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Bloomberg) — A vendor waits for customers outside a store in the Al-Balad historic district of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Bloomberg)

Music, movies and relaxed dress codes have some Saudis asking whether their country is changing too much, too soon

Pulsating purple lights played across the traditional coral stone- and-wood facades of buildings in the center of this ancient Saudi port city on the Red Sea while electronic music boomed and young men and women in jeans and glittery tops danced with glow sticks.