Venue
Prince Turki Al Awwal Road, Hittin, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
{{item.title}}
Riyadh Season guide
Fight nights and concerts through Riyadh's winter.
In short
Riyadh Season suits visitors planning around a headline fight, concert or exhibition, set within weeks of themed zones, comedy and food. The 2026 edition opens in October and is planned for about ten weeks, with boxing, wrestling, UFC and the Six Kings Slam confirmed. Each show carries its own date and ticket, so book the event first and build the trip around it.
Riyadh Season is the Saudi capital's winter festival of entertainment: weeks of themed zones, concerts, comedy and some of the biggest fight nights in world sport. Run under the General Entertainment Authority, it turns the city's evenings into one long programme of shows, food and rides that draws millions of visits a year.
For international visitors the pull is usually a single headline date. Boxing, wrestling and UFC are all confirmed for the 2026 edition, and the Six Kings Slam brings tennis stars back for an exhibition. Around those nights sits a much larger local season of Arabic concerts, theatre and family evenings, which is where you see how Riyadh itself spends its winter.
–/5
No reviews yet
Been to this event? Your review helps other travellers.
Key Facts & Stats:
Where: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Venue: Boulevard World and Boulevard City
Held: Every year
Type of event: Live Events, Leisure Events, Cultural Events
Nearest airport: Riyadh (RUH) · 1 flight route
Currency: Saudi riyal (SAR, ﷼)
Time zone: UTC+3, no daylight saving
Language: Arabic
Map
Close to the venue
- National Museum of Saudi Arabia Attraction · 1.7 km
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Dress code at Boulevard World and the arenas
Riyadh has relaxed a great deal, but modest dress is still the safe choice in public areas. Covering shoulders and knees is sensible for men and women alike. Non-Arab women do not need to cover their hair or wear an abaya, though very revealing clothes draw unwanted attention.
- Evenings in October and November turn cool after warm days, so bring a light layer.
- Wear comfortable shoes; the Boulevard zones involve a lot of walking.
- Arenas may have their own security and bag rules, so travel light on fight nights.
Buying tickets only from official channels
Every zone and every event carries its own ticket, and the only safe source is the official Riyadh Season sales channels. A ticket bought from an unofficial reseller comes with no guarantee it will scan at the gate.
- Buy headline fights and concerts the day they are announced; the best ones go fast.
- Keep tickets on your phone and screenshot them in case signal is poor at the gate.
- Check the name and ID rules for each event before you transfer a ticket to a friend.
What happens on the day
- Afternoon
Keep it slow
The zones fill only after sunset, so spend the hot hours indoors or resting.
- Early evening
Rides and tables
Arrive early at the zones if you want rides at Wonder Garden or a table without a queue.
- Late evening
Shows and headline nights
Headline events run to the times on each ticket. Eat beforehand and plan your ride home before the final bell or encore.
- Thursday to Saturday
The busiest nights
Weekend evenings draw the biggest crowds across all zones.
Building a trip around one key event
Riyadh Season is a calendar, not a single event, so build the trip backwards from the one date you care about most. A title fight, a big concert or the Six Kings Slam each go on sale separately and sell out fast, while a family evening at Boulevard World rarely needs planning beyond the day. Once you hold a ticket for the headline night, book flights and a room around it, then fill the other evenings with the zones.
Two or three nights cover a big event plus one evening in the zones. Add a day if you want daylight sightseeing in Diriyah and the city's museums. Our Saudi Arabia travel guide is useful for the hours when the season itself is asleep.
How Riyadh Season began in 2019 and grew
The season began on 11 October 2019, as part of the Saudi Seasons programme under Vision 2030. It was meant to end in December. Visits passed 10 million and it ran into January instead. By the 2023 to 2024 edition, reported visits had reached around 20 million, and the season had become the centrepiece of the country's entertainment calendar. Critics call it sportswashing, a charge that has followed the season for years.
Boulevard City, the Hittin complex at the heart of the season, was there from the start. It covers about 900,000 square metres, with a theatre district, a copy of Times Square called The Square and a musical fountain. Next door, Boulevard World opened in 2022: country pavilions and replica landmarks set around a 12-hectare lagoon that Guinness has listed as the largest artificial lake.
Eating is half the point. Boulevard World's pavilions sell food from their countries, so a walk round becomes a long tasting menu, while the Farmers' Market and The Groves offer gentler evenings outdoors.
Getting there
Flying into Riyadh
King Khalid International Airport is about 35 km north of the city. Check entry rules on our Saudi Arabia visa page; from Bangladesh, see Dhaka to Riyadh flights.
Airport to the city
The Riyadh Metro Yellow Line runs from the terminals to the King Abdullah Financial District. Official airport taxis charge flat zone fares, and Uber and Careem also work here.
Riyadh Metro
Six lines and 85 stations, running from 6 AM to midnight. Pay at the gate by contactless card or the Darb app; carriages are split into first, family and single classes.
To the Hittin zones
The last stretch to Boulevard City and Boulevard World is by car: use a ride-hailing app or a metered taxi, and allow extra time at peak hours.
Where to stay during the festival
Olaya and Suleimaniyah, north of Makkah Road, have most of the business hotels and put you within reach of the metro and, by car, of the Hittin zones.
Budget travellers will find most of the cheaper rooms in al-Batha, closer to the old centre but further from the season's main zones by taxi.
Riyadh
Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$480.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
5 Rooms available
Book Now
Weather and what to pack
Riyadh cools quickly through the season. On the 1991–2020 normals for Riyadh's old airport station, October averages highs of 35.2 °C and lows of 21.3 °C, November 27.5 °C and 15.5 °C, and December 22.2 °C and 10.8 °C. Rain is rare, at 1 to 15 mm a month.
Days stay warm into November, but desert nights in December can feel cold in the open-air zones.
Worth packing
- A warm layer for late nights in November and December
- Modest, loose clothing for public areas
- Sun protection for daytime sightseeing
- A contactless card or the Darb app for the metro
- Your printed or mobile event tickets and ID
Flights to Riyadh for Riyadh Season
The busiest routes into Riyadh (RUH).
Car hire in Riyadh
Airport transfer to Riyadh Season
Met at arrivals at King Khalid International Airport (RUH) and driven door to door to Boulevard World and Boulevard City.
- King Khalid International Airport (RUH) → Boulevard World and Boulevard City
- 44 km · 35 min
Restaurants and food in Saudi Arabia
Places to eat in Saudi Arabia before or after the celebrations.
Maraya Social
Rooftop, Maraya Concert Hall, Ashar Valley, Al Otheeb 43536, AlUla, Saudi Arabia
Cuisine:Modern EuropeanSharing plates
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
- Bar
Al Basali Seafood
Suq Bab Makkah, Al Balad, Jeddah 22236, Saudi Arabia
Cuisine:SeafoodHejazi
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Kuuru
Al Malik Road, Al Khalidiyyah, Jeddah 23422, Saudi Arabia
Cuisine:JapanesePeruvian
- Dine-in
- Counter seating
- Bar
Marble
Turki Square, Makkah Al Mukarramah Branch Road, Umm Al Hamam Al Sharqi, Riyadh 12321, Saudi Arabia
Cuisine:SteakhouseBarbecue
- Dine-in
Najd Village
Al Olaya, King Fahd District, Riyadh 12262, Saudi Arabia
Cuisine:SaudiNajdi
- Dine-in
- Private room
- Outdoor seating
Contribute:
Recently viewed events
Others of this kind you opened on this device, so you can get back to them quickly.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about Riyadh Season. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Be the first to ask
Our team answers questions here
Explore Saudi Arabia
Other festivals around the same time
Festivals held in the same weeks, if you want to plan more than one.
26
Nov, 2026
Nov, 2026
Sporting Events, Live Events
Al Daayen, Qatar
30
Nov, 2026
Nov, 2026
Sporting Events, Cultural Events, Folk Festival
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
09
Dec, 2026
Dec, 2026
Cultural Events, Exhibition, Fair
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
16
Dec, 2026
Dec, 2026
Musical Events, Cultural Events, Folk Festival
AlUla, Saudi Arabia
Explore Saudi Arabia
More events and festivals in Saudi Arabia
Festivals and events across Saudi Arabia, with dates, venues and ticket details where available.
13
May, 2027
May, 2027
Religious Festivals
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
22 photos
Save time: create a trip and get offers from locals
Tell us where and when you want to go, and local travel experts send you offers for your trip.
1 Create a trip
2 Get offers from locals
3 Pick the one you like
Create a trip
Need help?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Timing & weather
The Netherlands, Portugal and Yemen join the line-up of country pavilions for 2026, each with its own replica architecture and food from home.
The 2025 to 2026 programme included the Six Kings Slam tennis, a snooker championship, the Supercoppa Italiana football tournament, the first Saudi Arabia Darts Masters and WWE's Royal Rumble.
Recent seasons have used Kingdom Arena, anb Arena, Mohammed Abdo Arena in Boulevard City and the Global Theatre. Each event announcement names its venue, so check before booking a hotel.
The General Entertainment Authority runs it with the National Events Center, as part of the Saudi Seasons programme. Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the authority, announced this year's opening date in a promotional video.
It was the capital of the first Saudi state from 1727 until Ottoman and Egyptian forces destroyed it in 1818. Its At-Turaif district has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010.
It operates mainly during the season, so outside those weeks many of its theatres, restaurants and attractions are closed or quiet.
Families & accessibility
Yes. It is the season's family zone, built around rides and activities for children, and it makes an easier evening with little ones than the arenas or the busier Boulevard areas.
General
Ana Arabia is staged at VIA Riyadh, away from the Boulevard zones, so plan it as a separate outing with its own ticket.
Yes. A three-day pass costs SR 20, against SR 4 for a single ticket, so it pays off from the sixth journey. First class tickets cost more.
Booking
The park lists around 30 attractions, among them three roller coasters, alongside its country pavilions and the giant lagoon at its centre.