Entertainment festival held annually in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh Season (Arabic: موسم الرياض) is an annual state-funded entertainment and sports festival, started as part of 11 entertainment festivals carried by Saudi Seasons initiative that was launched in 2019.[1] Riyadh Season starts in October and ends towards March during winter and spring in the Saudi Arabia capital Riyadh. In 2022, Riyadh Season attracted more than 5 million visitors within the first two months of its third edition.[2] As of 2023, Riyadh Season has 10 Guinness World Records certifications.[3][4]
Riyadh Season was first unveiled by the General Entertainment Authority in accordance with the Saudi Vision 2030 in October 2019,[5][6] the festival brought sports and entertainment themes in Riyadh.[7][8][9]
According to the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, the government generated 6 billion Saudi Riyals in revenues from the first edition of the festival in 2019.[10] After maximizing the capacity in the second edition in 2021, the opening ceremony of the festival was attended by 750,000 people in the boulevard district, which included a parade, fireworks and a concert by Pitbull.[11] In 2022, the opening ceremony of Riyadh Season was rewarded a Guinness Record certificate for "The most remote-operated multirotors/drones launching fireworks simultaneously".[12]
Riyadh Season 2019
The first edition of the festival was launched on 11 October 2019 and was set to end on 15 December, but it was extended to January 2020 after the number of visitors exceeded 10 million.[13] In 17 October 2019, the opening parade of the first edition of Riyadh Season was held in Riyadh Boulevard zone with an attendance of more than 600,000 visitors.[14] It included 100 events that took place at 12 different zones, and was hosted under seven themes and experiences: Joy, inspire, taste, explore, fantasy, speed and desert.[15] The Taste theme originated in accordance with opening 31 restaurant from different cuisines all across the following zones:[15]
- Riyadh Boulevard
- Riyadh Front
- Riyadh Car Exhibition
- Riyadh Winter Wonderland
- Riyadh Sports Arenas
- Diplomatic Quarters
- Al-Murabaa
- Al-Malazz
- Wadi Namar
- Riyadh Beat
- Riyadh Safari
- Riyadh Sahara
Riyadh Season 2021
The second edition of Riyadh Season was launched on 20 October 2021 and lasted until the end of March 2022. It lies in an area measuring 5.4 million square meters in which it hosts more than 7,000 events at 14 different zones.[16]
- Riyadh Boulevard
- VIA Riyadh
- Combat Field
- Riyadh Winter Wonderland
- Riyadh Front
- Al-Murabaa
- Riyadh Safari
- Al-Athriyah
- Riyadh Oasis
- The Groves
- Nabd al-Riyadh
- Zaman Village
- al-Salam Tree
- Khalooha
Riyadh Season 2022
The third edition of Riyadh Season was launched on 21 October 2022 and lasted until March 2023. This included 8,500 activity days. This season had a principal of 15 zones in the Riyadh Boulevard and represented many cultures such as:
- America
- France
- Greece
- Italy
- India
- China
- Spain
- Morocco
- Mexico.
The 2022 Riyadh Season also included Riyadh Season Cup, a friendly football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Riyadh XI (combined Al Hilal and Al Nassr all-star team) held at King Fahd International Stadium on 19 January 2023. The game received global attention as the game pitted Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the greatest football players in the world and the subject of intense debate, directly against each other for the first time since 2020, as Messi played for PSG and Ronaldo joined Al Nassr days prior to the friendly match. PSG won the match 5–4.
Riyadh Season 2023
The fourth edition of Riyadh Season launched on 28 October 2023 with new identity and tagline ("Big Time") and title sponsorship from SNB. The opener event, Battle of Baddest, featuring Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, was held at Boulevard Hall on the same day.
This year's Riyadh Season will be marked with the addition of Boulevard Hall (named Kingdom Arena for sponsorship reasons), an indoor arena with a FIFA and AFC-approved football pitch capable of hosting various types of events with more than 40,000 spectators in attendance (27,000 for football matches). It will be fully open in January 2024 and serve as the new home ground of Al Hilal.
The following events will take place as part of 2023 Riyadh Season:
- On 28 October 2023, the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou heavyweight boxing fight was held in Kingdom Arena to kick off the Riyadh Season.
- On 4 November 2023, WWE Crown Jewel 2023 was held in Mohammed Abdu Arena.
- On 17 November 2023, If Y'all Weren't Here, I'd Be Crying Tour by American rapper Post Malone will be held in Boulevard Hall (Kingdom Arena).
- Soundstorm Festival by MDLBEAST will be held between 14–16 December 2023.
- On 23 December 2023, a boxing event billed as the Day of Reckoning, featuring Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin, Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker, and Dmitry Bivol vs Lyndon Arthur will be held at the Kingdom Arena.
- On 26–27 December 2023, the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup, featuring Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka, will be held at the Kingdom Arena.
- On 10–14 January 2024, the 2023–24 Supercopa de España featuring Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Osasuna, will be held at the KSU Stadium (Riyadh).
- On 21–25 January 2024, the 2023 Supercoppa Italiana featuring Napoli, Inter Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina, will be held at the KSU Stadium (Riyadh).
- The Riyadh Season Cup football tournament featuring Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Inter Miami, in a single-round robin group, where the table toppers will be crowned champions. The matches between Inter Miami and Al Hilal, Al Nassr vs Inter Miami and Al Hilal vs Al Nassr will be held on 29 January, 1 February and 8 February 2023 respectively.[17][18] All three of these clubs signed well-known world-class players in 2023, with Paris Saint-Germain players Lionel Messi and Neymar transferring to Inter Miami and Al Hilal, respectively, while Cristiano Ronaldo transferred from Manchester United to Al Nassr. Due to Messi and Ronaldo both being 36 and 38 years old respectively, it is likely the last time the two will play against each other in a match, leading many to dub it "The Last Dance".
- On 24 February 2024, the PFL vs. Bellator Champions mixed martial arts event will be held at the Kingdom Arena.
- On 8 March 2024, the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou boxing fight will be held at the Kingdom Arena.
Riyadh Season secured front-of-shirt sponsorship with Serie A club AS Roma, worth €8 million per year, to promote its series of events and Saudi tourism globally.
Zones
There are 12 Zones in Riyadh Season 2023:[19]
Saudi Arabia