Riyadh Season

Riyadh Season is a global entertainment event organized annually in Riyadh City. It is one of the initiatives of the General Entertainment Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Launched in 2019, the fourth season in 2023 attracted twenty million visitors.

The first edition of Riyadh Season was launched on October 11, 2019, spanning an area totaling approximately fourteen million m under the slogan "Imagine." The season featured around one hundred events catering to various age groups and covering multiple fields, including culture, arts, sports, and specialized exhibitions.

This edition saw an extension of events in certain areas that experienced high demand, including Winter Wonderland, al-Murabba, Safari, and Riyadh Sahara, where events were extended until January 18, 2020. Meanwhile, events in the Riyadh Boulevard area were extended until the end of March 2020.

The Winter Wonderland area of Riyadh Season featured approximately forty-two attractions spread across an area of about two hundred thousand m². These included fireworks displays, magic and horror shows, skating rinks, and a virtual stadium that housed an exhibition dedicated to the Spanish club Real Madrid. Additionally, open seating areas with large screens showcased outdoor cinematic experiences under the name Luna Cinema. The area also included the Escape Hotel attraction.

The Boulevard Riyadh City is one of the prominent zones of the first Riyadh Season. It features tree-lined spaces, a dancing fountain with 3D displays, and a selection of international and Arabic restaurants brought specifically for the season. The area also hosted an outdoor cinema, comedy shows, and theaters named after renowned artists, including Mohammed Abdu Theater with a capacity of approximately 22,000 spectators, Abu Bakr Salem Theater with a capacity of six thousand spectators, and Bakr al-Shaddi Theater with a capacity of two thousand spectators.

Furthermore, it hosted the Riyadh Motor Show, featuring car races, live shows, and an exhibition of rare, classic, and modified cars.

During Riyadh Season 2019, the Riyadh Safari event was held at Nofa Park. Its programs included a safari journey in specially designed vehicles, allowing visitors to observe approximately eight hundred different animals. The events also covered several other locations in Riyadh, including Riyadh Front (currently known as Roshn Front), Riyadh Stadiums, the Diplomatic Quarter, al-Murabba, al-Malaz, Wadi Namar, Nabd al-Riyadh, as well as Sahara.

The artistic launch of Riyadh Season 2019 began with a concert by the Korean pop band BTS at King Fahd International Stadium. This was followed by a series of musical and singing performances by Arab and international artists that continued until the end of the season. Additionally, Riyadh Season officials signed a collaboration agreement with Apple Music to exclusively present all songs performed on Riyadh’s stages, along with selected music pieces, to the season's visitors.

The first Riyadh Season achieved record-breaking numbers within two months, attracting eleven million visitors and approximately two hundred thousand tourists. The season supported special groups, including individuals with hearing and visual impairments and autism, by offering ten dedicated events, benefiting around 306,121 individuals. The direct revenue reached approximately SAR1 billion, while the indirect revenue amounted to SAR4 billion. The season also established various global partnerships, including collaborations with seventy companies. Additionally, it attracted twenty-six international restaurants from countries such as Mexico, Japan, India, France, and the United States.

The Riyadh Stadiums hosted the closing ceremony of the season. At King Fahd International Stadium, the finale featured the story of Leila, The Land of Imagination, aiming to convey the season's message of renaissance, development, and growth in Saudi Arabia. The story revolved around a young girl named Leila and involved the participation of 293 individuals, including Saudis and others from various nationalities.

The activities of Riyadh Season 2021 kicked off on October 20, 2021, after being paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season carried the slogan "Imagine More" and its events continued until March 31, 2022. The launch date announcements were displayed in prominent global locations, including Manhattan, New York, in the United States; London and Newcastle in the United Kingdom; and several Arab cities such as Dubai, Kuwait, and Doha. They also appeared in various cities across Saudi Arabia and on Arab and international television screens.

The opening of Riyadh Season 2021 took place in Boulevard Riyadh City. (SPA)

The opening of Riyadh Season 2021 featured a grand parade with 1,500 performers in costumes, fireworks, and eighty-eight food trucks. The event also included a spectacular display of 2,760 drones, showcasing images of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince and Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz. The drones welcomed attendees in multiple global languages and displayed the logos of Riyadh Season’s zones and events. The parade included a live concert performed by the international artist Pitbull, with attendance exceeding 750,000 people.

The number of zones in the second edition of Riyadh Season reached fourteen, which are:

1- Boulevard Riyadh City: Featuring a three km-long promenade, it includes nine sub-zones with various events, restaurants, festivals, shops, and five hundred arcade games in a children's area.

2- Via Riyadh: Includes a cinema, luxury restaurants, shops, and an international hotel.

3- Combat Field: A live-action experience of wars and combat through swords, bows, drones, and exhibitions of ancient and modern weapons.

4- Winter Wonderland: Expanded by 40 percent, with fifty-one rides in six zones, including the world's first and largest mobile Sky Loop.

5- Roshn Front: Hosts one of the largest exhibitions in the Middle East, including the Riyadh Motor Show.

6- Al-Murabba: Features ten international restaurants and cafes.

7- Riyadh Safari: Combines various types of animals and birds.

8- Al-Athriyah: Offers international restaurants with accompanying music.

9- Riyadh Oasis: Tailored for evenings in international restaurants with music and various artistic performances.

10- The Groves: Showcases a variety of experiences, including art, restaurants, and cafes.

11- Nabd al-Riyadh: Showcases Saudi heritage and local culture in a unique way through 3D displays It also includes multiple heritage areas enhanced with sensory visual technology.

12- Zaman Village: A heritage village that embodies Saudi life between the past and present. It features traditional gatherings, artistic performances, and musical shows.

13- Peace Tree: A space offering a natural and musical atmosphere.

14- Khalouha: Poetry events and evenings accompanied by local hospitality traditions.

Riyadh Season 2021 included 7,500 event days, featuring seventy Arabic concerts, six international concerts, ten global exhibitions, 350 theatrical performances, eighteen Arabic plays, and six international plays. Additionally, it hosted one WWE championship, two international matches, and one hundred interactive experiences, along with two hundred restaurants and seventy cafes. The season provided more than 122,000 job opportunities, including 37,000 direct jobs and 85,000 indirect jobs.

The number of visitors exceeded fifteen million, while the number of tourist visas surpassed forty thousand from around 104 countries worldwide. The top countries were the United Kingdom with over 9,200 visitors, followed by the United States with approximately nine thousand visitors. France ranked third with 3,300 visitors, Canada with 2,900, and Italy with about 2,300 visitors.

The Riyadh Season 2022 events began on October 21, 2022, under the slogan "Beyond Imagination." It featured fifteen zones, including Boulevard World, which showcased the cultures and atmospheres of various countries such as the United States, France, Greece, India, China, Spain, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, and Italy's Venice. These cultures were presented through restaurants, markets, and arts, offering unique experiences.

The Riyadh Season 2022 introduced the "Riyadh Zoo," one of the world-class zoos featuring 1,300 animals from 190 species. Boulevard World opened with the world's largest man-made lake, offering submarine rides for the first time in Riyadh City. The zone also hosted unique attractions such as the Combat Village, Superhero Village, the experience of the world's largest ambassador, and a cable car system connecting the zone to Boulevard Riyadh City, with a capacity of up to three thousand visitors per hour.

Twelve restaurants and cafes were introduced in Boulevard Riyadh City, along with twenty-five Arabic and international plays, including seven Saudi plays such as The Philosopher Yusuf al-Thunayan and The Flaming Arrow Majed Abdullah. Additionally, five new rides were added to Winter Wonderland. The Riyadh Season Cup football match was also organized, featuring the Riyadh Season team—comprising players from al-Nassr and al-Hilal Saudi clubs—against Paris Saint-Germain.

The Trocadero Screen immerses visitors of Riyadh Season 2022 in digital entertainment worlds. (SPA)

The fourth edition of Riyadh Season began on October 28, 2023, under the slogan "Big Time." The opening ceremony featured a variety of events, including the boxing match "The Baddest Man on the Planet" and a historic bout between boxer Francis Xavier Ngannou and British boxer Tyson Fury. The season attracted approximately twenty million visitors from within Saudi Arabia and abroad. It aimed to create around two hundred thousand job opportunities and empower two thousand national and international companies to host events across a seven million m² area.

For Riyadh Season 2023, the Boulevard Hall was constructed on an area of two hundred thousand m², with a height of forty-two m and a capacity of approximately forty thousand people. This multipurpose building was complemented by a 60 percent addition of new experiences to Boulevard Riyadh City, including Barbie World, Disney Castle—appearing in the Middle East for the first time in celebration of Disney's centennial anniversary—and the House of Hype, the largest virtual world under one roof. Other additions included the Cat Café, BLIPPI WONDERS, an educational experience for children, and the global Zero Latency experience, an interactive 3D adventure.

The season's events included the Legends Museum, dedicated to the most prominent football players and housing approximately thirty thousand rare items. A boxing club was also inaugurated to train and develop enthusiasts in the sport. Additionally, the CR7 Museum, showcasing the legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo, was opened alongside the global 433 Experience, which hosted some of the world's top football players, and the WWE Experience and Store. The season also featured around thirty-three theatrical performances, and musical concerts, and hosted the fourth edition of the Joy Awards ceremony.

Boulevard World was expanded by 40 percent, covering an area of one million m², with four new destinations added and a traditional shopping area featuring 1,180 shops and 120 restaurants and cafes. The season also included the Wonder Garden, spanning five hundred thousand m². Al-Murabba was transformed into a permanent zone hosting a variety of restaurants and cafes, along with The Groves and Via Riyadh. The season featured several festivals and events, including the Ana Arabia Festival, the Riyadh Toy Festival, the Dog Festival, the Motor Show, and the CONCON Conference.

The Riyadh Season Cup football match was organized between al-Hilal and al-Nassr teams. The season also hosted global tennis players in the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup, the Crown Jewel Festival, and the Paddle World Cup. Additionally, the Food Truck Festival was introduced, and three free-entry zones were inaugurated: Riyadh Zoo, Souq al-Awaleen, and al-Suwaidi Park.

Riyadh Season 2023 events. (SPA)

The fifth edition of Riyadh Season 2024 began on October 12, 2024, featuring fourteen entertainment zones with a total area of approximately 7.2 million m², including:

- Kingdom Arena: A zone dedicated to diverse events, global championships, and musical concerts, including the African Super Cup, the lightweight world championship match, and the heavyweight world championship match.

- The Venue: A zone equipped with advanced audio-visual technologies, it hosts events such as the Tennis Championship and the grand fashion event "1001 Seasons."

- Boulevard World: A zone offering visitors the opportunity to explore the civilizations and cultures of approximately nineteen global zones.

- Boulevard City: A tourist and entertainment destination featuring around forty new experiences and events, twelve theatrical performances, and twelve concerts.

- BLVD Runway: A zone allowing visitors to explore three Boeing 777 planes and an aviation runway, and includes thirteen interactive experiences for children and adults, along with shops and restaurants.

- Al-Suwaidi Park: A free-entry park showcasing approximately nine cultures over forty-nine days.

- Souq al-Awaleen: One of the free-entry zones of the season, featuring traditional markets from various regions of Saudi Arabia.

- Al-Hisn Studios: A zone offering visitors an experience of exploring the production of television programs, films, and series.