At Pure Beach near Jeddah, there is music, dancing and an inflatable water park, while some women even wear once unthinkable bikinis

Move aimed at boosting female employment in conservative kingdom, part of liberalization drive spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Move is latest government measure to upend a major hallmark of conservative restrictions in place for decades

Reema Juffali says she never expected to race professionally in Saudi Arabia, which lifted ban on female drivers last year: 'The fact that I am doing it... is amazing'

'Feminism is not criminalized,' says kingdom's Human Rights Commission; retracted video also decried homosexuality and atheism, which are both punishable by death

Out October 24, HBO documentary 'Saudi Women's Driving School,' follows female drivers who maintain cautious optimism even as gender rights activists still sit behind bars

New guidelines allow women to rent rooms without male guardian's presence, and foreign couples to share accommodation without proof of marriage

Despite 'progress,' system not fully dismantled and longtime women's rights activists still face travel bans or are on trial after a sweeping crackdown on dissent last year

Changes in guardianship rules mark potential sea change for rights in kingdom, although some restrictions still in effect

Raunchy rapper's scheduled appearance at Jeddah festival triggers social media backlash over human rights in the ultra-conservative Kingdom