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Riyadh Season returns on October 20 with what is set to be its biggest and best edition yet. This five-month entertainment and cultural festival is expected to host 7,500 events in 17 different zones, scattered across an area of 5.4 million square meters, in the Saudi capital.
Aiming to showcase the Kingdom’s entertainment scene and take visitors on a journey of cultural richness, Riyadh Season promises a memorable experience. The Riyadh Season parade is the festival’s opening celebration that will fill the city’s skies with fireworks, and feature various shows, and parade floats. This celebration will be held at Boulevard Riyadh City alongside a sold-out concert by Pitbull that will be broadcast live.
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Also highlighting Saudi Arabia’s booming musical scene, Soundstorm is back on December 16, with four days of live music by both emerging and renowned regional and international artists. Described as the biggest music festival in the city, Soundstorm recently announced its introductory line-up of Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, DJ Snake, and Jeff Mills. This music festival is introduced by a three-day discussion program, XP Music Conference, that will be held at Jax in Riyadh’s art district, with a dialogue featuring the music industry’s leading creatives.
Gaming enthusiasts seeking adrenaline can head to the Rush Gaming Festival which will take place in the Riyadh Front Zone, with activities like cosplaying, playing exclusive games, and gaming competitions. As for visitors with a passion for the stage, they can indulge themselves in six international plays, and 18 Arabic plays this year including Salaam Murabba staring Egyptian Actor Mohamed Henedi taking place on October 26.
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The WWE Crown Jewel is taking place with its two signature championships: The Universal Championship, and the Smackdown Women’s Championship. Through this event, WWE fans will witness an in-ring confrontation between the Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, over the Universal Championship. With a football tournament, the Riyadh Season Cup will join the Paris Saint Germain club with two of Saudi Arabia’s starring clubs Al Hilal and Al Nassr, on one field. Some of PSG’s players have been chosen to be the faces of the Riyadh Season promotional campaign, including the Brazilian icon Neymar, and Lionel Messi.
Visitors can also satisfy their tastebuds with 200 restaurants and 70 cafés offering unique global dishes. Balancing between luxury and authenticity, the Via Riyadh zone will offer fine dining options as well.
Read next: Everything You Need to Know About Saudi Arabia’s First Contemporary Art Biennale
