Your Guide To Jeddah

One

week

from

our

first

Middle

East

visit

the

year

Bahrain,

VCARB

has

travelled

900

miles

west

the

coast

Saudi

Arabia,

overlooking

the

Red

Sea.

Our

destination?

Jeddah

–

and

the

FORMULA

STC

SAUDI

ARABIAN

GRAND

PRIX

2025.

To prepare for our fifth visit to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, VCARB are taking you on a cultural tour of the music, food and history of the city to give you everything you need to know.

This is VCARB’s Cultural Guide to Jeddah.

QuickfireFactsaboutJeddah

Jeddah is the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia and has a population of 3.8 million people. The city has become a global hub of distribution and is home to the second-busiest seaport in the Middle East. Jeddah is known as the gateway to Mecca, the holiest city in Islam.

Jeddah is nicknamed ‘The Bride of the Red Sea’ and is the 100th largest city in the world by land area. The city has the unique characteristic of being within two hours of flying to every capital city in the Middle East and North Africa, making Jeddah a regular central point of economics and trade. Jeddah has been the home of millions of Muslims celebrating Hajj, an annual pilgrimage dating back to the 7th century.

Jeddah, The Magical Wonderland

TheCultureofJeddah

Jeddah became a central player in the global oil industry during the 1970s. To give an appealing aesthetic to the country, modern art and sculptures were installed in public areas. This gave rise to an influx of international traders and the cuisine of Jeddah evolved accordingly. It’s common to find local food, such as Shorabah Hareira (soup), Madhbi (grilled chicken) and Magliya (falafel) alongside other cuisines such as Yemeni Mandi, Indian Biryāni and Turkish Kabab Almīru. Al Baik, a local fast-food restaurant, has since expanded into Dubai, Bahrain and other cities across Saudi Arabia.

Annual events and festivals continue to bring tourists to Jeddah. The Red Sea International Film Festival promotes Saudi Arabian storytelling talent and curates a selection of independent films from around the world. The Jeddah International Book Fair encourages the publication of books in Saudi Arabia, as well as playwrights who are given opportunities to direct shows and events.

Sunset: Desert Edition

UnmissableSightsinJeddah

The Abdul Raouf Khalil Museum preserves Jeddah’s rich history and Islamic culture, with artefacts on show that are over 2,500 years old. The highest water jet in the world can be found in Jeddah – King Fahd’s Fountain can reach heights of over 300 metres and was donated by the King of Saudi Arabia.

In a bid to keep Jeddah on the cultural map, the King Abdullah Sports City was built in 2014, which is the second-largest stadium in Saudi Arabia. The Jeddah Municipality Tower is currently being constructed and is estimated to be the tallest building in the world upon completion. Blueprints indicate the tower will be a kilometer tall, and it aims to be completed in 2029.

Under The Arabian Lights

FormulaOneinJeddah

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit stretches for 3.8 miles along the coast of the Red Sea and is known as the fastest street circuit on the Formula One calendar, as well as being the third-longest track that we’ll visit in 2025 (only Spa and Las Vegas are longer). Average speeds are around 160 mph, which are maintained while also navigating 27 corners, the most of any circuit on the calendar.

Opened in 2021, VCARB makes its fifth visit to the Corniche Circuit in pursuit of the team’s best results yet. The VCARB 02 gave us a lot of data to work with from Bahrain, so Liam and Isack are keen to lay down the rubber in Jeddah.

Join us for the FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX 2025 from 18-20 April!