Riyadh: Men and women swayed to music at Saudi Arabia's first-ever jazz festival on Friday, the second of a three-day outdoor event.
Locals and foreigners flocked to the festival to watch bands from Riyadh, Beirut and New Orleans.
The crowd sang along when Lebanon's Chady Nashef performed the Eagles' "Hotel California".
On Thursday, the General Entertainment Authority announced it will stage more than 5,000 shows, festivals and concerts in 2018, double the number of last year.
At the festival, the area in front of the stage was divided into two sections - one for men and one for women - but people mixed in family seating areas on the side and in the back.
"I am so so happy I got up from bed this morning and went to a jazz festival and performed in front of a crowd like me, my countrymen," said Saleh Zaid, a Saudi musician from the local band Min Riyadh.
"It's a feeling I just cannot explain to you."
While some showed up out of a love for jazz, many came to enjoy the chance to hear music at an outdoor event, with food trucks, a vintage car display and a relaxed atmosphere.
As part of reforms in the Kingdom, a 35-year cinema ban has been lifted and women are set to drive later this year.
Earlier this month, authorities detained a man after a video of him dancing with a woman in the street went viral.
But on Friday, women in abayas, loose-fitting robes, moved with the music.
"This festival shows that the leadership here wants to let the people open up, to see more things, more cultures," said Salem al-Ahmed, who with his stylish young friends jumped at the opportunity to attend his city's first-of-a-kind festival.