The 25th Free Reading Festival for K-12 students kicked off yesterday at the King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh. Organized in collaboration with the Riyadh Education Department, the event is part of the National Cultural Project to Revitalize the Connection with Books. The festival runs for one week—from December 21 to 25—featuring the participation of over 100 schools, more than 1,500 students, and numerous educators and teachers. This year, the library is offering a diverse range of activities—spanning reading sessions, reading workshops, and the use of modern assistive technologies—aimed at fostering an interest in and love for reading and learning. The initiative seeks to broaden students' knowledge across literary, scientific, and cultural fields and encourages teachers to instill the concept of "free reading." It also focuses on showcasing talents and knowledge while enhancing the Arabic language skills of all participants. A mobile library service has been arranged to facilitate student visits to the library’s Khurais and Al-Murabba branches during the festival. Additionally, reading workshops are being held for middle and high school students, and the children's library sections at both branches have been designated as venues for the festival activities. These spaces have been fully equipped with the necessary technical capabilities and modern devices, featuring engaging, age-appropriate content on display screens designed to strengthen the bond between children and books while boosting their self-confidence in acquiring knowledge across various disciplines. Through its diverse reading programs, the King Abdulaziz Public Library seeks to foster a strong connection with books and dedicate its efforts to raising reading awareness across all segments of society. It achieves this by organizing a wide range of reading-related activities and events in collaboration with the Ministry of General Education—an entity that advances the journey of development and civilizational progress across all fields through education and knowledge. Reading, with its multifaceted intellectual dimensions, serves as a fundamental building block in shaping the character of the younger generation and cultivating intellectual values.