Riyadh Season visitors surge to record 13 million in 10 weeks

Cairo: Riyadh Season attracted record 13 million visitors in 10 weeks from across the globe, said organisers of the annual Saudi entertainment festival.

“13 million visitors enjoying unforgettable experiences across Riyadh Season,” Head of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority (GEA) Turki Al Alsheikh said in an X post.

The current fifth edition of the Riyadh Season kicked off on October 12, featuring 14 zones, 11 world championships and 10 exhibitions.

The festival has recently featured several zones areas, including “The Groves” and “Souq Al Oulain”, an area that combines authenticity and creativity, highlighting Saudi heritage, traditional handicrafts, and local cuisine.

Colourful activities are also presented at the “Boulevard City”, and the Sweidi Park, main features of Riyadh Season.

The festival in its latest edition draws visitors with its calendar of boxing, wrestling, and tennis matches as well as classy restaurants, entertainment experiences and the “Wonder Garden” zone.

A recently opened zone is the “Boulevard Runway” that presents decommissioned aircraft transformed into exciting entertainment venues. The aircraft are converted into sites of games and upmarket restaurants.

This zone offers visitors an opportunity to explore three Boeing 777ERs and a real flight runway where the space has been transformed into a place for events with dining inside the aircraft or from the control tower.

Visitors can also experience a flight of horror and excitement aboard one plane where its passengers turn into moving ghosts amid live music, frightening effects, and rocking chairs.

Al Alsheikh had earlier said the fifth edition of the season stretches on more than 7.2 million square metres with contracts concluded with 2,100 companies, 95% of them are local.

Saudi Arabia is seeking to diversify its oil-reliant economy and attract more visitors.

In 2016, the kingdom created GEA, a state agency that has since sponsored a slew of star-studded concerts, stage shows and festivals.

A major annual event organised by GEA is Riyadh Season, which made its debut in 2019 with the aim of turning the city into a global entertainment and tourist destination.