EVENTS
Saudi Arabia is home to a number of cultural festivals and events as well as traditional festivals that date back thousands of years. The Kingdom offers a range of fun and interactive festivals for tourists to explore authentic Saudi Arabian culture & heritage. Here are some festivals and events that take place in Saudi Arabia that are worth attending:
AlUla Moments
This festival consists of four unique events and festivals starting in September and lasting till January. Situated in AlUla, a Saudi city within the Madinah Province, the festival attracts tourists every year in a worldwide celebration of Saudi Heritage featuring fashion displays, AlUla Desert Polo, art installations, gourmet cuisine, and more.
Janadriyah National Festival
One of the largest festivals celebrating the kingdom’s heritage and culture. This folk festival takes place annually over a two week period in November at Janadriyah near Riyadh. Activities include folklore art shows, poetry reciting, camel races, and others.
Jeddah Festival
Possibly the most tourist-friendly festival held in Saudi Arabia. It takes place over a two month period in the port city of Jeddah between May and July (In 2023: 2 May - 30 June), includes over 200 exciting events and attracts more than a million every year. The festival includes art exhibitions, sports, food and craft markets, children’s entertainment and spectacular fireworks displays. Visitors can sample traditional Saudi dishes, purchase local handicrafts, or simply watch the opening fireworks display over Jeddah’s amazing Corniche.
Sharqiyah Season Festival
A huge 17-day festival taking place annually in the Al-Khobar Corniche from March 14th till 30th. This festival celebrates the heritage and culture of Saudi Arabia. It features over 80 events in the Eastern Province, Dammam, Al Khobar, Al-Ahsa, Jubail, and Dhahran. It includes a variety of international artists, traditional events, film screenings and sporting events.
Saudi Games
The largest national sport event in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It will be taking place in Riyadh from October 27 to November 7, 2023 with expected participation of more than 6,000 athletes from over 200 clubs across the Kingdom, competing in 45 sports.
The Saudi Cup
Organized by the Saudi Jockey Club, The Saudi Cup is a two-day international horse racing festival taking place on the last weekend of February in Riyadh. Tourist can join in with the 20,000 fans in cheering for their favorite Jockey & horse team. This sporting event highlights Saudi Arabia’s long history of horseback riding.
Riyadh Spring Festival
A three-month long festival that takes place in Riyadh annually starting in the month of April. This mega event is comprised of 12 main areas in the city that host seven different themes consisting of more than 100 different events.
The Buraidah Date Festival
This festival focuses on the manufacturing of dates and by-products such as jam, sugar, chocolate, dough, and molasses. It also includes the biggest date market in the world with over 30 varieties of dates offered. The festival starts in August and continues for three months.
