Saudi Arabia is witnessing a huge tourist boom, reflecting the government’s interest in the sector — one of the fastest growing and with a bright future as one of the kingdom’s most essential pillars of Vision 2030.
Various art festivals have been organized on multiple occasions since the kingdom adopted a cultural openness policy years ago.
More recently, some of them overlapped due to the packed calendar.
Notably among them were the Jeddah summer season, followed by the Riyadh season, which started in October and will run until March next year, and the Winter at Tantora festival, which begins in the city of Al-Ula on December 21 and will run until February 12, in addition to the first-ever edition of the weeklong Red Sea International Film Festival, which ran until December 15.
Here are some more examples:
Visit Saudi
The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) recently announced winter activities and seasons on its platform Visit Saudi. Visitors can use the platform to select relevant packages, tours, and fun activities until March 2022.
Tae Authority collaborates with the Saudi tourism sector in an effort to create 1 million jobs, 100 million annual visits, and a 10 percent contribution to GDP by 2030.
The Middle East’s Largest Music Festival
On December 16-19, Saudi Arabia is hosting SoundStorm, touted as the Middle East’s largest musical event, including top international performers and musicians.
The event draws young people from all around the Kingdom, the Gulf, and the world, with 200 artists from countries like New York, Canada, and Russia taking part as part of the Kingdom’s aim to attract tourists from both home and abroad.
Tantora’s winter is back
Winter at Tantora, Saudi Arabia’s first cultural and musical festival, returns to Al-Ula this December with a diverse and exciting program of events combining Arab and foreign music, culture, equestrian and culinary arts.
The festival kicks off with light and sound shows, which will be held in Al-Ula’s old town on December 21-25 to reflect the ancient heritage and highlight the city’s historical and cultural depth.
The Candlelight Event
The Candlelight Classics event, which will take place on December 24-31, is expected to be the most significant and new event, with hundreds of candles lighting up Nabataean monuments carved more than 2,000 years ago, accompanied by a unique musical celebration.
Al Hosh Cinema
The Winter at Tantora Festival will present a unique experience for filmmakers and their movie lovers through Al Hosh Cinema, representing a new context in the open-air cinema experiences near Al-Ula’s old town.
Every week, from Tuesday to Saturday, the theater will show two films in the evening.
Al Fursan Fashion Show
Since Al-Ula’s heritage is intertwined with the culture and history of the Arabian horse, there will be a variety of horse-related events to suit all interests.
This year, for the first time, haute couture shows will be held in Al-Hajar under the name Al Fursan Fashion Show, which will begin on January 27 and will feature various current and contemporary designs as well as historical costumes.
Various activities
Other performances at the festival include the poets’ path show, which will feature a notable poetic performance in the cultural oasis and the traveler Ibn Battuta’s presentation in the old town.
In addition, the Al-Ula Citrus Festival will take place over two weekends in January, and a program of Al-Ula concerts at Maraya Theater will feature a mix of Arab and foreign performers, including Andrea Bocelli, Omar Khayrat, and Majida Al Roumi.