On Friday, more than 2,500 people made it out to Saudi Arabia's first-ever YouTube FanFest at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. 

The event brought together YouTubers from around the globe. 

Top Saudi comedians took to the stage including Omar Hussein (FanFest Jeddah host), Bader Saleh, Hatoun Al Qadi, Njoud Al Shammari and many more. 

"We were happy to see the creators performing for their fans on a live stage, a first for many of them," Diana Baddar, head of YouTube partnerships for the MENA region, said in a statement. 

"YouTube’s continuous growth in the region and especially in Saudi Arabia warranted an event like FanFest which was a celebration of the creativity that lives on YouTube in the kingdom," she added. 

Two main shows divided the day, one just for females and another for families. 

And people enjoyed every second of it!

Fans ... in their truest form

The stage was pretty lit too

An incredible number of women took part

#YTFFJED united all these lovely ladies

It's not the first YouTube event held in the kingdom

FanFest is the latest YouTube event in the MENA region. 

Last October, the video-sharing giant launched the Batala channel dedicated solely for promoting Arab women YouTubers. 

The platform's launch event was held in Riyadh and brought together some of the contributing creators. 

They shared their YouTube vlogging experiences: from the things that triggered their debut, to the criticism they faced as they rose to YouTube stardom. 

The event also included workshops about creating successful YouTube channels and producing content that appeals to the masses.

According to Al Arabiya, time spent watching female-related videos in the MENA region grew by a whopping 50% in 2015. 

And it's not the first FanFest in the Middle East

Dubai beat Saudi Arabia to the game after hosting the first ever YouTube fan event in 2015. More than 2,000 fans gathered in Za'abeel Park in a YouTube meet-and-greet session, Emirates 24|7 reported. 

A few Saudi creators also took part in the event, which was organized by Google MENA, including Abdulaziz Bakr, Fahad Sal, Mahmoud Ramadan and many others. 

YouTube is only growing in the region, especially in Saudi Arabia

The number of YouTubers in the MENA region have tripled in the region in the last three years. 

In Saudi Arabia, watch-time has grown by 50 percent and by 65 percent on mobile in 2016. 

More than 50 channels in MENA have more than one million subscribers, more than 20 of those in Saudi Arabia. 

Last year, the kingdom witnessed a 100 percent growth in total uploads coming from Saudi Arabia. The kingdom contributed a third to the total watch-time of the MENA region in 2016.

The kingdom's entertainment efforts haven't gone unnoticed

Enhancing cultural and entertainment opportunities throughout Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the Riyadh's Vision 2030, which has been championed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

In addition to events like this one, the kingdom held its first ever Comic Con last month. 

Jeddah and Riyadh each hosted massive concerts back in January, the first to be held in the kingdom for many years. 

The sold-out jazz performance in Riyadh was a first for the city in 25 years. 

Following that event, some 8,000 men made it out to a Jeddah concert for Saudi singer Mohammed Abdo, the first major musical performance in the city in seven years.

There's definitely been change, and 2017 looks like it's off to a good start!