Huge turnout at the launch of the 16th edition of "Klijat Buraydah" Klijat
The activities and events of the 16th edition of the Klijat Festival, organized and operated by the Qassim Chamber of Commerce, kicked off this Friday afternoon at the King Khalid Cultural Center in Buraydah, after the festival was established as an annual event attended by more than 1,500 productive families, craftsmen and craftswomen, in addition to factories and companies.
The General Supervisor of the Klija Festival, Secretary General of the Qassim Chamber, Muhammad Al-Hanaya, stressed the support and follow-up that the festival receives from His Highness the Emir of the region, His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Faisal bin Mishaal bin Saud, who came up with the idea of the festival 16 years ago, and who worked to adopt it, until Klija moved from a local product to a competitive global brand, which prompted UNESCO to include the city of Buraidah among the world's creative cities in 2021 AD and made the Culinary Arts Commission, during its celebration of Saudi creative cities at UNESCO, adopt "Klija" as a popular main dish for the Qassim region, through the National Dishes Narratives Initiative, and a local baked product for the city of Buraidah, in the Creative Cities Bakery Initiative, which is concerned with introducing the culinary heritage and popular foods in the Kingdom.
Al-Hanaya added that the festival aims at sustainable marketing, and achieving many professional and practical achievements and goals that ensure the continuity of work and production for productive families, emerging and small institutions and factories, by targeting the "craft", developing it and working to enhance it.
Stressing that the festival, with its 16-year journey, has established a database and a huge professional and investment legacy, pointing out that the Qassim Chamber, with the desire of its leaders, was keen to organize and operate the festival, to ensure serving families for free, enhancing their incomes and financial, professional and developmental gains.
The Executive Director of the Festival, Mr. Nayef Al-Manslah, indicated that the festival, which is organized and operated by the Qassim Chamber of Commerce, has enjoyed Gulf, Arab and international participation in all its previous editions, through 4 Gulf countries, while "Klija" was present as a product and brand to represent the region and the Kingdom on several occasions in France, China, Italy, Brazil, Portugal, Iraq and Egypt; which confirms the importance and magnitude of the festival, and its impact on the map of tourism and economic festivals at the level of the Kingdom.
Al-Manslah explained that the festival in its 16th edition is exceptional in terms of the gains that the Klijat product has won nationally, regionally and internationally, through UNESCO and the Culinary Arts Authority, in addition to the fact that it has so far received a large number of applicants for participation, as the number of productive families applying has reached more than 750 families, and the number of handicraft applicants is about 230 craftsmen and craftswomen, and food trucks is more than 370, and the number of companies and institutions is about 200 companies and institutions. Al-Manslah added that the festival grounds were distributed and its paths were determined so that the visitor can spend his tour and see all the festival’s corners and activities, as there will be a main hall containing products and displays of families, companies, factories and laboratories specialized in Klija, the Jarda tent specialized in local and seasonal foods that are prepared and made from the local environment, the headquarters of the participating areas, the heritage area, the live Klija area, wheat Klija, cafes and restaurants, the productive families and popular food area, the children’s theater, the Roman theater hosting theatrical and competitive events, the headquarters of live cooking and preparation of foods and Klija, and the organic food and natural products area.
