RIYADH: From live gaming racing experiences, musical performances, food trucks, and face painting, this year’s Formula E Allianz Fan Village pulled out all the stops to create memorable fun for visitors in Diriyah.
“It’s truly wonderful. I brought my kids and wife. It has been loads of fun,” Michael Brintley, a business strategist living in Riyadh, told Arab News.
“We played the racing game in the Jahez tent, and my daughter got her face painted.
“It’s a nice experience to have on top of the races going on. We are still new to Saudi, so this was our first Diriyah Formula E, but it was great.”
The fan village welcomed locals, expats, families, and friends to watch the races and enjoy downtime in between rounds on Friday and Saturday.
It boasted many tents and booths, giving interactive experiences and offering activities such as a miniature remote-controlled racing game around Diriyah hosted in the Saudia airline booth pop-up.
The live gaming arena gave guests the full racing experience through multiple simulators and several different levels.
The fan village also had a main stage with multiple screens which displayed a live broadcast of the races.
Live performances, from marching bands to magicians, took place on a smaller stage to entertain families, while other tents featured live music and autograph sessions from competing drivers.
Formula E merchandise and memorabilia could also be bought, and near to the store was a padel court for visitors seeking some exercise.
Yusra Al-Humaidan, 22, attended the event with friends to share the experience.
She said: “I decided to come to Formula E with some of my friends at the last minute. We did not attend the first day but, after seeing all of the videos and pictures on Snapchat, we decided to come and see it.”
The party toured the fan village before returning to the Emotion Club, Formula E’s premium hospitality club.
She added: “The games in the [fan] village were so much fun. We saw this man dressed like a trophy who was dancing, and we played some of the car racing games before we ate dinner.”
The event ended with concerts by French Montana and John Legend on the podium stage.
The two-day Diriyah E-Prix, which ended on Saturday, took place during the ninth season of the FIA Formula E World Championship.
Some 11 teams and 22 drivers took to the race grid for the fifth time in the Kingdom since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman inaugurated the event in December 2018.
