His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), announced at today’s Press Conference (Sunday) the full details of Riyadh Season 2025, which is set to begin Friday October 10 next to Boulevard City at 4pm with a massive parade to showcase all the new features for this upcoming season. This year’s Riyadh Season represents a major leap forward in the entertainment industry in the Kingdom and builds on the success of previous editions that have solidified Riyadh’s status as a global entertainment capital with the 2025 edition set to include 11 main entertainment zones across Riyadh, hosting 15 global championships and 34 exhibitions and festivals.
This year’s season is set to attract even more global attention with the volume and profile of its major events, activations and conferences being staged with participation from more than 2,100 companies across various sectors— 95% of them local — through 4,200 contracts signed with the private sector. This demonstrates the empowerment of national talents and the growing role of the private sector in supporting the local economy.
HE Turki Alalshikh also explained that the latest edition of Riyadh Season marked a new phase of growth in the entertainment sector. Last year’s Riyadh Season welcomed more than a record 20 million visitors from over 135 countries, over 3,300 international media, and achieved in excess of 110 billion global media impressions — reflecting Riyadh’s strong international presence among the world’s top destinations for global events.
HE Turki Alalshikh revealed that the estimated brand value of Riyadh Season has reached $3.2 billion (SAR 12 billion), reflecting its growing global reputation and confirming its position as one of the most prominent entertainment brands in the Middle East and the world.
Riyadh Season 2025 major events & conferences:
• Joy Forum – taking place between October 16 and 17 at Boulevard City, this forum will bring together top entertainment figures from around the world, including US content creator MrBeast, UFC President Dana White, sports legend Jon Jones, basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal, TV host and investor Daymond John, and Indian actor and director Aamir Khan, along with a host of other global entertainment leaders.
• Beast Land – a new zone to Riyadh Season in collaboration with MrBeast covering 200,000-square meters and featuring over 27 rides and experiences, 40 restaurants and stores, and interactive challenges and prizes — marking the first project of its kind worldwide.
• Royal Rumble – one of WWE’s marque wrestling events being held for the first time outside of North America, with Wrestlemania set to follow in 2027, further cementing the season’s position as an international hub for major entertainment spectacles.
• Boulevard City will host a rich lineup of entertainment, including eight sports tournaments such as Power Slap 17, The Ring V, Riyadh Season P1 Padel Championship, Riyadh Season Snooker Championship, Saudi Masters Darts, and Kings League MENA. The zone will also feature 19 entertainment experiences, including six new attractions such as Minecraft and Poppy Playtime, along with 20 Arabic concerts and 14 new theatrical productions. Sneaker Con will also return to Boulevard City for the second year after its great success at last year’s season.
• Returning events to Riyadh Season 2025 include globally acclaimed tournaments such as Six Kings Slam – featuring six of the world’s best men’s tennis players including Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcarez, Ring IV featuring world boxing title fights including David Benavidez v Anthony Yarde and Brian Norman Jr. v Devin Haney, WBC Grand Prix – which held its qualifiers in Riyadh with athlete from 40 countries, Snooker 167, Kings Cup MENA and Saudi Masters Darts – the first PDC darts event in Saudi Arabia, along with the Fanatics Flag Football Classic involving NFL legends Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski plus other global stars, scheduled for March 21 2026 at Kingdom Arena
• The Joy Awards 2026 – the prestigious awards event, one of the largest in entertainment, will continue to be hosted by Riyadh Season, celebrating excellence in drama, music, and other creative fields
• Auto Show Riyadh – held at Kingdom Arena, featuring 50 cars as prizes for attendees.
• Boulevard World will feature enhanced content in 2025, with over 1,600 shops, 350 restaurants and cafés, 40 rides and experiences, and 24 subzones, including three brand-new countries: Kuwait, South Korea, and Indonesia.
• HE Turki Alalshikh further announced the launch of new zones, including Boulevard Flowers—a 215,000-square-meter area featuring over 200 million flowers, 200 floral sculptures, and three Boeing 777 aircraft, as well as 40 restaurants and cafés, creating a stunning artistic landscape blending nature and creativity. He added: “The Flying Over Saudi Arabia experience, which promotes tourism across various regions of the Kingdom, will also debut this season. This project, developed over three years, allows up to 90 people simultaneously to experience an interactive aerial journey across Saudi destinations.”
• For the first time in its history, Riyadh Season will introduce a floating entertainment zone named “Auria Cruise”, offering a one-of-a-kind experience on the Red Sea. The cruise will cover 14 destinations, featuring 29 restaurants and cafés, 10 spa and fitness facilities, and 20 entertainment areas, making it a fully integrated destination for luxury leisure and entertainment.
• At Via Riyadh, the successful Ana Arabia exhibition will continue, showcasing a wide range of premium products across multiple pavilions representing several Arab countries.
• The season also aims to engage all segments of society through enhanced family-oriented content. Riyadh Zoo has been redeveloped to include over 1,600 animals from 170 species across six themed zones, offering interactive and educational experiences for families and children. Meanwhile, Al-Suwaidi Park will continue its programming, showcasing 13 nations—including Yemen, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India—through 49 concerts, 84 theatrical performances, and 100 cultural carnivals.
• HE Turki Alalshikh highlighted that Riyadh Season 2025 places strong emphasis on theater, expanding its offerings to include a wide range of Saudi, Kuwaiti, Qatari, Emirati, and Syrian plays. This aims to showcase the diversity of the Gulf and Arab world and empower creators to present their works in a high-quality, competitive environment. He added that this year’s musical concerts will be exceptional in both scale and substance, with top Saudi and Gulf artists performing large-scale shows accompanied by Saudi musicians—reflecting the thriving artistic movement within the Kingdom.
• In terms of social responsibility, His Excellency highlighted that Riyadh Season gives special attention to community initiatives. The “Laylat Al-Omr” (Night of a Lifetime) initiative, held last year in collaboration with community service sponsors, achieved a significant humanitarian impact. He added that this year, the initiative will be reviewed and further developed for future launch, with its details and timing to be announced later, in coordination with sponsors to ensure its enhanced success.
HE Turki Alalshikh also explained that the sixth edition of Riyadh Season continues to support the national economy by creating extensive job opportunities, exceeding 25,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs across various fields including operations, production, and services. This reflects the season’s commitment to empowering national talents, strengthening local supply chains, supporting Saudi companies, and fostering collaboration with government entities — all of which contribute to sectoral growth, sustainability, and elevating the quality of experiences offered to visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom.
He concluded by affirming that Riyadh Season 2025 will be a defining milestone in the history of global entertainment, emphasizing that Riyadh has become the emblem of a new era of creativity, culture, and international entertainment excellence.
