Riyadh Season

Riyadh Season is a global entertainment festival held 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 launched on October 11, 2019, across areas totaling approximately fourteen million m², under the slogan "Imagine." The season featured around one hundred events suitable for all ages across various fields such as culture, art, sports, and specialized exhibitions.

Due to high demand, some areas extended their events, including Riyadh Winter Wonderland, al-Murabba, Riyadh Safari, and Riyadh Sahara, where events extended to January 18, 2020. Riyadh Boulevard events were extended until the end of March 2020.

Winter Wonderland included about forty-two games over an area of approximately two hundred thousand m², featuring fireworks, magic shows, horror attractions, skating rinks, and a virtual stadium with a Real Madrid exhibition. It also featured open-air cinema sessions with large screens, known as "Luna Cinema," and the "Escape Hotel" attraction.

Riyadh Boulevard was one of the standout areas in the first Riyadh Season. It featured tree-lined spaces, a 3D dancing fountain, and a range of international and Arabic restaurants brought in specifically for the season. The area also hosted outdoor cinema events, comedy shows, and theaters named after renowned artists, including Mohammed Abdu Theater with a capacity of around 22,000 spectators, Abu Bakr Salem Theater with a capacity of six thousand, and Bakr al-Shaddi Theater, which could seat 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 in Nofa Park. It included a safari tour with specially designated vehicles, offering visitors the chance to watch eight hundred different animals. Events covered 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, and the desert areas.

The artistic launch of Riyadh Season 2019 began with a concert by the Korean pop band BTS at King Fahd International Stadium. It was followed by a series of musical performances by Arab and global artists, continuing until the end of the season. In addition, season officials signed a collaboration agreement with Apple Music to offer exclusive access to all the songs performed on Riyadh's stages and some selected musical pieces, exclusively for season visitors.

The record-breaking numbers achieved by the first Riyadh Season within two months included eleven million visitors and around two hundred thousand tourists. Moreover, the season provided support to people with special needs, including those with hearing and visual impairments, and autism, by offering ten dedicated events, benefiting approximately 306,121 individuals from these groups. The direct revenue reached around SAR1 billion, while the indirect revenue amounted to approximately SAR4 billion. The season concluded various partnerships globally, including collaborations with seventy companies and attracting twenty-six international restaurants from Mexico, Japan, India, France, and the United States.

Riyadh stadiums hosted the season finales. King Fahd International Stadium hosted the closing ceremony with the Story of Laila, The Land of Imagination, symbolizing the Kingdom's development and growth. The character was performed by a young girl called Laila, and 293 individuals took part in the performance, including Saudis and performers of 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. Announcements for its start were made in global locations, including Manhattan, New York in the United States, London and Newcastle in Britain, and several Arab cities such as Dubai, Kuwait, and Doha, as well as cities across the Kingdom and on Arab and international TV channels.

The opening parade of Riyadh Season 2021 featured a performance involving 1,500 entertainers in costume, fireworks, and eighty-eight food trucks. Additionally, 2,760 drones created aerial displays, showing images of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. They carried welcome messages in several global languages and displayed logos of the different areas and events of Riyadh Season. The parade included a concert by the global artist Pitbull, with attendance exceeding 750,000 persons.

The second edition of Riyadh Season featured fourteen event areas:

1- Boulevard Riyadh City: A three km-long walkway with nine sub-zones, each offering a variety of activities, restaurants, festivals, and shops, along with five hundred electronic games in a dedicated kids area.

2- Via Riyadh: Features cinemas, luxury restaurants, shops, and a world-class hotel.

3- Combat Field: A live re-enactment of warfare throughout history, from swords and arrows to drones, including exhibitions of ancient and modern weapons.

4- Winter Wonderland: Expanded by 40 percent, and the number of games increased to fifty-one across six areas. It also includes the world's first and largest mobile Sky Loop.

5- ROSHN Front: Home to one of the largest exhibitions in the Middle East, including the Riyadh Motor Show.

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

7- Riyadh Safari: Features various species of animals and birds.

8- Al-Athriyah: Offers international dining experiences accompanied by music.

9- Riyadh Oasis: A perfect setting for evening events with world-class restaurants, music, and 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: Events dedicated to poetry nights, featuring local hospitality rituals.

The 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 wrestling championship, two international matches, one hundred interactive experiences, two hundred restaurants, and seventy cafés. 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, with over forty thousand tourist visas issued from approximately 104 countries worldwide. The top countries were the United Kingdom with over 9,200 visitors, followed by the United States with around nine thousand visitors, France with 3,300, Canada with 2,900, and Italy with approximately 2,300 visitors.

The Riyadh Season 2022 events began on October 21, 2022, under the theme "Beyond Imagination." It featured fifteen areas, including "Boulevard World," which showcased the cultures and atmospheres of various countries worldwide including the United States, France, Greece, India, China, Spain, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, and Venice of Italy, offering immersive experiences through restaurants, markets, and arts.

The Riyadh Season 2022 introduced the "Riyadh Zoo," one of the world-class zoos featuring 1,300 animals from 190 species. The "Boulevard World" zone, home to the largest artificial lake in the world, was opened where submarine rides were offered for the first time in Riyadh City. This area also featured unique attractions such as Combat Village, Superhero Village, the world's largest ambassador experience, and a cable car service allowing visitors to travel between "Boulevard World" and "Boulevard Riyadh City" with a capacity of three thousand visitors per hour.

Additionally, "Boulevard Riyadh City" introduced twelve new restaurants and cafes and hosted twenty-five Arabic and international plays, including seven Saudi plays like The Philosopher, Yousuf Al Thunayan, and The Flaming Arrow, Majed Abdullah. "Winter Wonderland" hosted five new games, and the "Riyadh Season Cup" football match was held between the "Riyadh Season" team, consisting of players from al-Nassr and al-Hilal, and Paris Saint-Germain.

Events of Riyadh Season in its fourth edition 2023 began on October 28, 2023, under the slogan "Big Time." The opening ceremony featured several performances, including the "Baddest Man on the Planet" boxing match and a historic boxing fight between Francis Xavier Ngannou and British Tyson Fury. The season attracted around twenty million visitors from within and outside the Kingdom. 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.

A multipurpose building called "Boulevard Hall" was constructed for Riyadh Season 2023, covering an area of two hundred thousand m² with a height of forty-two m, and a capacity to accommodate around forty thousand people. The Boulevard City area hosted 60 percent of new experiences, such as Barbie World, and Disney Castle, making their debut in the Middle East to celebrate Disney’s hundredth anniversary, as well as "House of Hype", the largest virtual world under one roof, a "Cat Café", "BLIPPI WONDERS", an educational experience for children, and the globally renowned interactive "ZERO LATENCY" 3D experience.

The season also featured the "Legends" Museum, dedicated to top football players, showcasing approximately thirty thousand rare items. Additionally, a boxing club for training and developing boxing enthusiasts was opened, along with the "CR7" Museum, highlighting Cristiano Ronaldo, and the global "433" experience, which hosted famous international football players. The season also introduced the "WWE" experience and store, organized thirty-three theatrical performances, and concerts, and hosted the fourth edition of the "Joy Awards" ceremony.

The Boulevard World area was expanded by 40 percent, covering an area of one million m², and four new destinations were added, along with a traditional shopping area featuring 1,180 stores and 120 restaurants and cafes. This season hosted the "Wonder Garden", covering five hundred thousand m². "Al-Murabba area" was transformed into a permanent area with a variety of restaurants and cafes. Other areas included "The Groves" and "Via Riyadh" zones. Moreover, the season hosted several significant events, including the "Ana Arabia (I'm an Arab Woman)" festival, Riyadh Toy Festival, Dog Festival, Car Show, and "CONCON" conference.

The "Riyadh Season Football Cup" was organized between al-Hilal and al-Nassr FC, and the season also featured international tennis players competing for the "Riyadh Season Tennis Cup". Additionally, the season hosted the "Crown Jewel" festival, the "Paddle World Cup", and introduced the "Food Truck Festival". Furthermore, three free-entry areas were inaugurated: Riyadh Zoo, Souq al-Awaleen, and al-Suwaidi Park.