Aseeri Step Festival

The Aseeri Step Festival is a festival organized by the Ministry of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to highlight the Aseeri Step as a cultural heritage element in the Kingdom. The festival was held with the participation of the performing arts, fashion, and music sectors. The Ministry of Culture presented it in the city of Abha in Aseer Province from November 27 to December 1, 2022.

The festival event is one of the activities presented by the Ministry of Culture across the Kingdom to highlight various popular and creative cultural fields associated with Saudi society. The festival aims to showcase the art of the Aseeri Step and its related aspects, including costumes, arts, rhythms, and poems.

The Aseeri Step Festival included several areas, starting with the 'Opening Operetta' accompanied by the rhythms of the Southern Step. This was followed by the 'Aseeri Step Exhibition' area, which featured a main exhibition highlighting the thousand-year history of the Aseeri Step, explaining its beginnings as a war dance and its evolution over time, as well as its diverse melodies.

The festival also included a training area featuring a stage measuring between one hundred and two hundred m, equipped with a screen displaying people performing the Aseeri Step and an interactive projection screen on the floor. The music and cooking area contained restaurants and cafes hosting musicians and bands performing the Aseeri Step. Several models of traditional musical instruments were distributed throughout the area, where food and beverages were served while visitors enjoyed the performances. Additionally, a dedicated area for poetry evenings featured various poets reciting diverse poems.

The Aseeri Step Festival included a pavilion for fashion and accessories representing the identity of the region's inhabitants, such as the Aseeri dress, belt, and yellow scarf. It also showcased the Saudi thobe, shemagh, and jambiya. The festival featured an art exhibition with participation from artists of the Aseer region, displaying works that reflect the environment and aesthetics of the Aseeri Step. Additionally, there was a dedicated art studio for training children in fine arts related to the region's cultural heritage.